Las Vegas native Kyle Busch’s brash and outgoing style of racing and personality, and dominance of winning made him a polarizing figure for many years in NASCAR.
He was often met with boos from crowds at racetracks around the county, had feuds with other drivers and didn’t always have the greatest relationship with the NASCAR media.
But Busch never forgot where he came from, said former Las Vegas Motor Speedway media relations and communications head Jeff Motley.
“When it came to Las Vegas, I can’t recall one time in my entire career at the speedway that we ever asked Kyle to make an appearance or to do a media interview for us that he said, ‘No,’ ” Motley recalled.
“He really, really appreciated that Las Vegas was his hometown, that Las Vegas Motor Speedway was his hometown racetrack, and I think he took great pride in doing things to help promote racing and to foster racing here in the Las Vegas Valley.”
Busch died Thursday at age 41. His family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR confirmed his passing in a joint statement Thursday afternoon after it was announced earlier in the day he had been hospitalized after a “sudden illness.”
No cause of death was given as the announcement of Busch’s passing sent shock waves across the sports world.
”Kyle Busch wasn’t just one of the fiercest competitors our sport has ever seen, he was one of the most talented race car drivers I’ve ever shared a track with,” said seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who was a teammate of Busch at Hendrick Motorsports for more than three seasons, in a post on X.
“We spent years as teammates at Hendrick Motorsports and even as competitors, there was always a deep respect for what he could do behind the wheel. Kyle pushed all of us to be better. His passion, intensity and love for racing were unmatched and his impact on this sport will be felt forever.”
Las Vegas has exploded as a sports market with the Golden Knights, Raiders and Aces, with the Athletics on the way, and countless major events such as the Super Bowl, Final Four and a Formula 1 race around the Strip.
But long before the arrival of professional teams and events, the area embraced its local athletes that were making an impact in their respective sports, whether it be Andre Agassi, Greg Maddux or Bryce Harper.
Busch was no exception.
Former LVMS president and general manager Chris Powell said Busch’s success paved the way for racers across Las Vegas and fans for the sport, dating back to when Powell first arrived in Las Vegas to watch a 14-year-old Busch race at the three-eighths-mile Bullring short track on the LVMS property.
“Those Saturday night races at the Bullring, I’m sure that those kids were in the stands and saying, ‘I want to do that. I want to go to Victory Lane like Kyle Busch. I want to do the Kyle Busch bow when I win a race, and, and have half the fans cheering, and half the fans booing,’ ” Powell said.
Las Vegas roots
Busch won 234 times across NASCAR’s top three national touring series. That’s the most national touring series wins by any NASCAR driver. His lone Cup Series win in Las Vegas came in 2009, when he won the pole in qualifying, was sent to start last after an engine change and rallied to victory.
“When he won, the fans went crazy,” Powell said. “He had such a tremendous following here in Las Vegas. It was one of the most joyous Victory Lanes I’ve ever been to because I think he felt a tremendous weight come off his shoulders when he finally won a Cup race in Las Vegas at his home track. I do remember that the champagne flowed freely in Victory Lane that day.”
Powell recalled the racing Busch and older brother Kurt would put on at the Bullring, with father Tom occasionally racing. He said there were thoughts of creating a bounty race where the track would pay the winning driver more money for beating the Busches, but those talks didn’t go that far.
“Watching Kyle at 14 years old, the way he could handle the race car out there was nothing short of phenomenal,” Motley said.
Motley and Powell both recalled the racing battles Kyle Busch and Spencer Clark would put on at the Bullring.
Busch and Clark would get sent to the back of the racing pack for rough driving against one another, and would drive right back up to the front. Clark was a promising racer on the local scene, but he was killed at 19 in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 in New Mexico in 2006.
After a dust-up with a different driver, Powell called Busch into his office. Busch’s response to being in the meeting made Powell realize Busch was going to be special.
“He made me aware that he was not happy being in that office, and I’ll never forget it,” Powell said. “It was that day that I knew this guy is as determined as they come, and I don’t think he was trying to emulate anybody else. That was just the way he was. There was a determination in Kyle unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
‘Such a loss’
Busch’s storied NASCAR career saw the Durango High graduate win two Cup Series titles and total 63 Cup Series victories in the sport’s top national touring series. He is destined to join older brother Kurt in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the near future after Kurt was inducted this January.
That success paved the way for a handful of younger racers from Las Vegas to get into racing. Current Cup Series drivers Riley Herbst and Noah Gragson are Las Vegas natives and drove for Busch’s Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, which shut down after the 2023 season.
“He gave (them) a chance, some kids who never would have gotten a chance without Kyle’s influence and without his backing, because Kyle put a lot of money into the sport. … I give him a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for that,” Powell said.
Seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt famously said he didn’t care if fans cheered or booed him, “as long as they’re making noise.” Every Busch victory would create a loud response from fans as he gave a nod to his hometown with a showman’s bow to the crowd.
“He brought out more emotion in race fans over the past 25 years than any other driver, because there were so many fans who loved him, but there were so many fans who detested him because of his style,” Powell said. “He loved it. I think it made him even more determined to go to Victory Lane.”
Busch’s last Cup Series win came on June 4, 2023. After years and years of dominance, NASCAR fans had a greater appreciation for Busch as he strived to break a long winless drought.
On May 15, Busch gave what was his final bow following a Truck Series win at Dover. He alluded to his struggles in the Cup Series, saying every win is special because “you never know when the last one is.”
“There certainly was the fiery, edgy Kyle, but there was also the Kyle that he would be very, very loyal to people who were loyal to him,” Motley said. “I saw that throughout his entire life and the entire time that I was around him. He’s going to be missed by a lot of people.
“It’s such a loss for Las Vegas and the entire racing world,” Motley said.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
English (US)·