Although Kyle Busch has hit a rough patch over the past two seasons, his résumé still towers above that of any other active driver. Despite going winless since 2022, his career tally of 63 Cup Series wins is imposing. Part of that dominance stems from his deep-rooted ties to the sport. Before him, his older brother Kurt Busch made his name as one of the finest NASCAR drivers of his era.
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The racing pedigree doesn’t stop there. Their father, Tom Busch, cut his teeth behind the wheel as well, playing an essential role in shaping Kyle’s path. When asked on the Audiodrama podcast whether those early days of racing with his father influenced his passion for the sport, Busch bluntly replied, “A lot.”
Kyle credited his dad as the driving force behind his racing dreams, even while his mother had her sights set on a more conventional future for him, as an orthodontist. He recalled how his father held a regular job during the week, then loaded up the trailer to chase checkered flags on the weekends. Alongside a tight-knit crew of family friends, many of whom were racers themselves, Tom Busch passed on the tools of the trade to his youngest son.
In a recent chat on GOLF’s Subpar, Kyle delved into how his journey began. “I was 13 when I started. And so, you’re supposed to be 14, so I may or may not have allegedly forged my birth certificate to make myself 13. Or make myself 14 at 13 so I could get in a car and race legends cars in Las Vegas,” he said.
Raised in Vegas, Kyle got his first real shot at the local bullring, where he entered in Legends cars. From there, he jumped into modifieds and late models, barely three years into his young career, before landing his first NASCAR Truck Series ride. The ascent was fast and furious.
Now, he watches the next generation take flight. His son Brexton turned heads in go-karts at the age of five. Still just ten, he’s already behind the wheel of Legends cars, beating the timeline Kyle once followed. With years of racing already under his belt, the younger Busch is off to a flying start, lapping the milestones of his father’s early career at record pace.
The only thing left for Kyle Busch to accomplish
Kyle has all but written the book on NASCAR success. With 102 wins in the Xfinity Series, 67 wins in Trucks, two Cup Series titles in 2015 and 2019, back-to-back regular-season crowns in 2018 and 2019, a 2009 Nationwide Series championship, and wins at the Southern 500, Brickyard 400, and Coca-Cola 600, his résumé reads like a greatest-hits collection of stock car racing.
Yet one trophy still evades him, the Daytona 500. For Busch, winning that race would be the final piece. A Daytona win would complete his checklist and punctuate a Hall of Fame-worthy legacy, one he hopes to share with his brother Kurt, already chosen for NASCAR’s highest honor.
While the idea of his own induction has crossed his mind, Busch made it clear he’s not ready to hang up the helmet just yet. Congratulating Kurt on the milestone, he called it a fitting exclamation point to a career filled with wins, championships, and all the hardware a driver could ever dream of chasing.
