“Kicked My A** for 20 Years”: Kurt Busch Tears Up After Revisiting Emotional Win

Srijan Mandal | 14/10/2023
Oct 15, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch speaks announcing he will step away from full time competition in 2023. at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout history, there have been moments where a driver has been impressive in their careers, but there has always been that one race so close to their hearts that they haven’t been able to win. For the longest time, this had been the case for former NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch.

For nearly two decades, Busch had not been able to muster a win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but it all changed during the 2020 playoff race at the track. The Busch’s hail from Las Vegas, so this venue was his home track, hence close to his heart.

Recently, the former 23XI Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing driver appeared in a NASCAR video shared on social media. In the clip, Busch holds a picture of the 2020 race-winning celebrations and just the sheer memory of the event brought tears to his eyes.

Kurt Busch sheds tears after witnessing his first home win after years of attempts

Busch became emotional and mentioned, “That’s Vegas, right? Yeah, I don’t wanna get emotional with you guys too much on this one. That Vegas race… Vegas.”

He added, “There was no way that DiBenedetto was gonna outrun me on the race track… There’s just no way buddy. Whether it’s emotion, a push, or a drive to just this is my hometown track I should be able to win here. It kicked my a** for 20 years. Finally, I was able to win Las Vegas. “

This race finally ended his 0-for-21 losing streak at Vegas after he was able to find his way to the checkered on the final restart. Interestingly, this was also the first win for Chip Ganassi Racing in that season.

Busch celebrated that win with his brother Kyle Busch

The win was an extremely emotional one for the elder Busch. While on the cool-down lap, his younger brother and the reigning Cup Series champion at that time, Kyle Busch drove beside him and repeatedly banged doors to celebrate his iconic victory.

Later on, Kurt told the media, “This is 20 years of agony and defeat and today triumph… This is what kids dream of when they grow up racing. You dream of winning at your hometown track and for two decades it’s kicked my butt.”

Clearly, winning at his home track was the single greatest feeling since his Cup Series championship win back in 2004.

Post Edited By: Ankit Sharma
Kurt Busch Las Vegas Motor Speedway Matt DiBenedetto

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Srijan Mandal

Srijan Mandal is the Lead NASCAR Editor and Strategist at The Sportsrush with a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of motorsports. With several thousand articles under his belt over the years, he has established himself as a leading authority on all things racing. His passion for motorsports started at a young age, and he has dedicated his career to covering the sport in all its forms. He is an expert in various disciplines, including stock car racing, American motorsports, Formula 1, IndyCar, NHRA, MotoGP, WRC, WEC, and several more. But Srijan's love for racing goes beyond his writing. He actively competes in professional open-wheel sim racing, using '88' as his racing number. While he mostly participates in GT Endurance classes, he also ventures into Stock Car racing from time to time. In case, you wish to contact Srijan, kindly send an email to him at [email protected] or just DM him on Twitter.

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