Without question, Kyle Busch has long been one of NASCAR’s most beloved and polarizing figures — a driver whose sheer talent and persona have earned him a string of memorable nicknames: Rowdy, Shrub, Wild Thing, and Candyman. Of them all, the one that resonated most with fans and defined his racing identity is “Rowdy,” a nod to his fearless, take-no-prisoners approach on the track — somewhat reminiscent of Dale Earnhardt’s “Intimidator” moniker.
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In a recent appearance on Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz’s podcast, GOLF’s Subpar, Busch shared his personal favorite among the nicknames.
“I would say Rowdy’s my favorite,” he said, revealing its origin in the movie Days of Thunder. “The story behind that is obviously Days of Thunder. So I love the movie Days of Thunder. Rowdy Burns is one of the main characters in there.”
Busch recounted how, even as a 16-year-old making his debut in Truck racing, he wasn’t one to follow the conventional path: “I was sort of doing things my own way and making my own name for myself and causing a little bit of crazy and havoc on the way there. So, hence the name Rowdy.”
He also revealed that his Rowdy moniker got cemented when he joined Billy Ballew Motorsports. Ballew’s primary truck carried the No. 15, and when he launched a second truck for Busch, the young driver requested a twist on the original number: “Well, just take 15, flip it backwards, and it’ll be 51. We’ll make it look like the Rowdy Burns car from the movie Days of Thunder, all black and everything, and I’ll be Rowdy.”
Kyle drove the No. 51 truck for three years with Ballew, racking up 12 wins. When Busch founded his own Truck Series operation — Kyle Busch Motorsports — he retained the No. 51 until 2023, scoring multiple wins under the same banner.
On the podcast, Busch also unpacked the stories behind his other famous nicknames. He narrated that “Shrub” stemmed from his family roots. His father, Tom Busch, was nicknamed “the big bush,” with some calling him “the tree” due to his height and build, while Kurt Busch, Kyle’s older brother, was the first Busch in NASCAR. Thus, Kyle became “Shrub” — the smaller Busch coming up through the ranks.
“Wild Thing,” he explained, arose from his bold, unpredictable moves on the track. Known for slicing through traffic, pulling off daring three-wide passes, and snatching leads in dramatic fashion, the nickname perfectly captured his audacious style.
“The Candyman,” of course, traces back to his longstanding partnership with M&M’s and his years driving the iconic candy-colored car while he was in the Joe Gibbs Racing team.
