Kyle Busch has never shied away from on-track conflict. His scrapes with Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, his tense rivalry with Dale Earnhardt Jr., and his friendly but hard-edged battles with teammate Martin Truex Jr. all became part of his reputation. Yet for all the friction, there were a few drivers he held in high regard.
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At the top of that short list sat Tony Stewart. In a 2012 interview, Busch even admitted he wished he could have spent more time as Stewart’s teammate.
The two shared only a single season together at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, but that brief overlap left Busch wanting more. Stewart collected 33 Cup wins during his JGR tenure. Busch, racing for the same organization later in his career, amassed 56 wins. Their paths only crossed for that single year, but it made a lasting impression.
According to team owner Joe Gibbs, Busch and Stewart were cut from similar cloth. Both possessed raw talent and a fiery nature behind the wheel, and both carried personalities that never faded into the background. So when Busch was asked which past driver he would choose to team up with if he could turn back the clock, he didn’t hesitate.
“The first one that comes to mind is (Dale Earnhardt) Sr. I think he’s one of the guys you would never want to race against; you’d rather race with him. Stewart was that way. When I was with Hendrick and Stewart was with (Joe Gibbs Racing), I hated racing against Tony Stewart. Hated it.”
He continued, “And then when I went to JGR, I loved it. I loved racing with him! It was awesome! And then when he left, it was eight or 10 races into the year or something, and we were kind of racing each other hard and going back to our old ways, and after the race, I was like, ‘Dude…I’ve just got to tell you: I absolutely hate racing against you.'”
When Stewart asked for clarity, Busch explained that being teammates simplified everything. When they weren’t, their mindsets shifted into something he couldn’t quite define but never enjoyed. Stewart simply replied, “Alright, well, thanks for telling me.”
During their lone shared season at JGR, Busch won eight Cup races and finished P10 in the standings. Stewart, despite winning just one race that year, wound up ahead of Busch and finished P9.
