Many of the young drivers who enter NASCAR these days have strong financial backing. This has contributed to the downfall of driver personality in the sport. Back in the day, a lot more grit and willpower were required to make it to the upper echelons of stock car racing. Kurt Busch’s career embodies that journey.
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The 2004 Cup Series champion was essentially a nobody when he began his racing career at the Pahrump Valley Speedway as a 14-year-old. He participated in IMCA Modified racing in the early 1990s and received the biggest break of his career in 1997.
The Winter Heat Series at the Tucson Speedway was one of the most attractive races on television. Busch made his mark there.
Fans used to be glued to screens throughout December and January in the mid-1990s since those were the months during which the hottest racing went down in the Winter Heat Series. Drivers like Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, and Matt Crafton used to go to Tucson to test their skills against a different slew of competitors.
Gaining national attention through his standout performances in those races, Busch gained a ride with Roush Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2000. He spoke to Racer.com about how he brought the abrasive racing style into NASCAR.
“We brought our style of racing to Cup, and it started to change the way some people drove. It changed the etiquette. A lot of us just went hard,” recalled Busch.
“We didn’t really respect the other guys as much as the Southeastern drivers did. The old-school guys gave a lot of room to each other. For us, we were in the arms race era, if I can define that to everyone,” he added.
By arms race, Busch means that team owners splashed a whole lot of cash to get the best drivers. Joe Gibbs went with Tony Stewart, Rick Hendrick went with Jimmie Johnson, and Jack Roush went with Busch and Matt Kenseth.
How Busch’s journey went from there is no secret. He won a Cup Series championship and is regarded as one of the best in history today. But behind his story is a tale of responsibility.
Busch’s father wasn’t a prominent figure in racing. He was a local racer who did what he could to help the careers of his sons. A strong understanding of his father’s plight led Busch to carry a heavy weight on his shoulders. He knew that he had to pave a path on which his younger brother, Kyle, could follow him and lead a successful life.
“It wasn’t like my dad was Bill Elliott and I’m Chase Elliott and this is going to be the path. Mine was, ‘What bridge do I think I can go over and leave it behind so that my brother could follow me?’ With the different race teams that I went to, I was always trying to promote my little brother. I was hoping that Kyle could get to the next level,” said Busch.
Decades later, the world can see that the man has succeeded in his long-term mission. His brother is a two-time Cup Series champion and his family is becoming a powerful racing dynasty with Kyle’s son, Brexton, taking up the wheel.
Kurt himself will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame soon. If that’s not a victory for all of them, what is?
