As much as Kyle Busch is known for his on-track aggression, so was his brother Kurt before him. The 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion was one of the drivers whose career path was a giant roller coaster of highs and lows. And more often than not, his aggressive attitude got him into trouble. One such moment was back in 2005 when he found friction between himself and his then-teammate Matt Kenseth.
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The duo were both driving for Roush Racing at the time. Kurt was the youngest driver for the team at the time at just 27 years old and was accompanied by Kenseth, Mark Martin, and Greg Biffle as teammates. Self-admittedly, the young racer was a bit overconfident amidst such icons which led to some trouble with Kenseth. He narrated the incident in an episode of the team’s “Backstretch Banter” series.
“I know the biggest moments of teammates was with Kenseth in the playoffs in 2005,” he said. “I was on the radio, ‘I am not good enough today. I am running second to you. Hey, could you slide over and give me five points for leading a lap?’ And then there was like, ‘No. This isn’t happening.” Kenseth’s refusal to let him go had left Kurt frustrated and angry.
The No. 97 wanted those 5 bonus points.
The No. 17 wasn’t letting anyone by. @KurtBusch recalls a moment with @mattkenseth from the 2005 playoffs. 🏆#BackstretchBanter | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/zUyvzFsvnC
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) July 10, 2024
Eventually, Busch burned through his right front tire in a bid to catch and overtake Kenseth, a feat he could not achieve during the race. Instead, he ended up having to pit as a result, finishing the race at Kansas Speedway in 14th place.
Back in the post-race team meeting, he’d let his displeasure be known but little did Kenseth care. “You know that midwestern sense of humor,” Kurt laughed about it. “He’s like, ‘You couldn’t catch me. I am not going to let you go.’ So that was a big friction moment.”
Busch’s quick ascent from legend cars to the Cup Series
Unlike many drivers, the now 46-year-old did not race a lot in go-karts on his route to the top level of stock car racing. His maiden racing experience had been in dwarf cars when his father put him in them at the age of 14.
He went on to participate in IMCA-modified racing before gaining national exposure when racing in the 1997 Winter Heat Series. His achievements during this period led to a tryout for the Roush Racing post which he secured a Craftsman Truck Series ride.
He said in the episode, “To go from Truck to Cup, Jack Roush came up to me after we won Milwaukee (2000). It was the July 4th weekend. It was my first-ever win in trucks. He says, “Hey, would you like to go Cup racing?” Kurt obliged as any young racer would and an incredible five-year journey followed in the premier tier.
