“I Did That With Peyton Manning”: When Kyle Busch Was Starstruck By the NFL Legend At Bristol

NASCAR drivers are some of the most recognizable and loved celebrities in the United States. But even they get starstruck when they meet other star athletes from different sports. One such case was when Kyle Busch met NFL icon Peyton Manning. In an interview with Jeff Gluck, the two-time Cup Series champion revealed just how deep his admiration for his hero really was.

Gluck’s question in the 12 Questions series was which celebrity Busch would love to invite to a race. He replied, “Two years ago, they brought Peyton Manning to the Bristol Motor Speedway. Actually, Nationwide brought him, but NASCAR let some of us know, and they knew I was a big Peyton fan.

“So I was like, “That’s cool, I’d certainly like to have my time to talk to him or meet him, shake his hand, that sort of stuff,” he added. 

Bursting with happiness inside, Busch had gone and gotten his Broncos gear signed by Manning. He continued, “[I] even spelled out on a piece of paper and wrote, ‘Sign here in silver’ and ‘Here’s the silver (pen) that actually works,’ and stuff like that. Yeah, I was that guy. I did that with Peyton Manning.”

Are there any other celebrities whom Busch would be so excited about? He considered Tom Brady, but that was it. “Rowdy” did not sound so much into politicians or movie stars.

Manning played in the NFL for 18 seasons. He spent fourteen seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with the Denver Broncos. Considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, he is a two-time Super Bowl champion and one-time Super Bowl MVP.

Why Busch favors Manning over Brady

Early this year, Busch was asked if he would pick Brady as his fantasy spotter in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, he voiced out that he would rather have Manning do that job and guide him on the race track.

He reasoned, “He is probably one of the best game-callers ever. He would be able to maybe look at certain situations and be able to pick up on things, whereas another celebrity might not be able to, and I would kind of enjoy his voice in (your) head.”

He believes that Manning had better games when he made calls for himself by superseding his coaching staff. Whereas he sees Brady as someone who relied on his coaching staff.