The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season did not pan out for Kyle Busch as he would have hoped. The Richard Childress Racing driver for the first time in 19 years in his career went without a win during the whole season, a feat which he has managed to achieve every year since his debut.
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Despite not having the best of times in the highest echelon of stock car racing, the #8 Chevrolet Camaro driver has announced his appearance in the famed 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals event, switching things up and going grassroots dirt-track racing during the off-season.
Busch has been involved in the grassroots scene of late mainly because of Brexton Busch, his son who is following his father’s footsteps in racing and currently competing in events with car classes such as Micros and Midgets.
I'm not scared, @brextonbusch. 🌶️👀@FloRacing x @Lucas_Oil pic.twitter.com/kkaZ1XHwws
— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) November 14, 2024
The two-time champion as a result will finally be dipping his own feet into the biggest midget event in the country with a partnership with Floracing, making his debut in the USAC Nationals Midget series as well.
Elaborating on why finally decided to take the plunge and make his debut in the famed event, Busch said, “The biggest reason why I’ve changed my mind now is having more experience with being on the dirt. Knowing a little bit more of what to expect. For years, I never really raced open-wheeled cars, never ran sprint cars or midgets or micros.”
Touching on how he has been preparing ahead of the event, he added, “You wanna look at some video, some past film and kind of see some of that. Also talking to some past drivers that are friends of mine and getting their take on it.”
Why did Busch shy away from midget racing in the past?
Despite Busch’s son Brexton currently cutting his teeth in the grassroots dirt racing scene, the Las Vegas, Nevada native revealed why he did not step into a midget racing competition sooner. Owing to his physical build and the weight of a fully grown adult working against him in a car sensitive to heavier drivers, Busch opined how younger drivers always had the edge on him.
Along with his relative inexperience on loose surfaces, he added, “I’m too big, I’m 200 pounds man, like, you come here with no weight rule you’ve to build a bigger car and you can’t keep up with those lightweight kids.”
Early apprehensions aside, Busch remains motivated for his debut in the famed Chili Bowl event next year. The race goes live in January and will run from January 13-18, 2025 at the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
