Kyle Busch’s stock car accomplishments rank him as one of the best in NASCAR history. However, the two-time Cup Series champion’s favorite race cars aren’t the Chevy Camaros or Toyota Camrys he has piloted to Victory Lane. That honor belongs to a car he drove in his formative years.
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Back when Busch was coming up the ranks, young drivers kicked off their careers by racing Legend cars at local short tracks. They then get into modified cars before finally stepping into Super Late Models.
During an interview with GOLF’s Subpar in May, when Busch was asked which car he enjoys driving the most, he spoke about the insanely powerful Super Late Models. For Busch, they are the most fun to drive, and he explained why.
“You run across all these short tracks across the country. You got 750 horsepower. So, a lot of horsepower to the tire,” said Busch.
“And you can get these cars out of shape. There are some cool things that you can do with the suspension and things like that to make grip. So, those have always been my favorite cars to drive,” he added.
His most recent Super Late Model race was at the Oxford Plains Speedway on July 2. He finished the Celebration of America 300 in 25th place after getting penalized a lap for an illegal pass under caution. Busch left the track after the incident and didn’t return.
The race marked his return to local short-track competition following a brief hiatus. The 40-year-old has raced in many different cars and series. For all his experience, Busch hasn’t raced professionally in the IndyCar Series.
When Joe Gibbs stopped Busch from racing in IndyCar
Busch had every intention of making his foray into open-wheel racing in 2017. But an unexpected hurdle blocked his way despite every other box being checked for his debut in the Indianapolis 500.
Busch was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing at the time, and it is no secret that Coach Gibbs isn’t a fan of letting his Cup Series drivers risk their physical health by participating in races outside NASCAR. Ultimately, it was he who prevented ‘Rowdy’ from racing in IndyCar.
The story came out in the open during an episode of Actions Detrimental in which Busch appeared as Denny Hamlin’s guest. Who knows, maybe his love for Super Late Models would have faded had he raced a Dallara DW12!
