Kyle Busch Loved To Win, Hated To Lose — And Fans Reveled Watching It All

Kyle Busch loved to race and compete. He loved to make moves that no one else would dare to make. He loved being brash, whether with the car or with his tongue. But most of all, Rowdy loved to win. Man, did he love winning. He also hated losing. And those two attributes provided a combination on the track that turned Busch into one of the greatest talents ever to hold a NASCAR steering wheel. The 41-year-old Busch died Thursday, a day after being hospitalized overnight for a severe illness. The Busch family, NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing released a joint statement Thursday, calling Busch “a giant of the sport.” “His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal ‘Rowdy Nation,'” the statement said. The stat sheets will say he won more national series races (234) than any other driver. He ranks ninth in all-time Cup Series wins at 63 and first in wins in the Craftsman Truck Series (69) and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (102). Stats don’t tell the entire story of the Las Vegas kid just trying to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Kurt Busch, to NASCAR. He literally got there too soon, having to leave his truck seat in 2001 at age 16, when it was determined that as long as Winston sponsored the Cup Series, he couldn’t compete with the cigarette company branding on track property. One of the sport’s brightest stars would have to wait a couple of years to return to full-time NASCAR racing, and when he finally came on the scene, he was aggressive and brash and determined to make up for lost time in becoming one of the NASCAR greats who will for sure join his brother in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He won throughout his 24-plus years in the sport, all the way to the end. His most recent victory came in a truck just last week at Dover Motor Speedway, where he competed in both the truck race and the NASCAR All-Star Race. Busch earned his best Cup finish of the season in the most recent points race on May 10, when he placed eighth at Watkins Glen International. During the event, he asked for a doctor to meet him after the race, but the reason was unclear. Busch indicated last weekend at Dover that he was still feeling a little under the weather. His family announced Thursday morning that he had been hospitalized with a “severe illness.” Even with the serious tone of the announcement, it was hard to believe that someone fans had just seen race, someone they had seen battle for a win, could be gone. Many in the sport accept that tragedies could happen on the track. But off the track? Not to Rowdy. Not to the guy who loved to needle the media and loved to needle other competitors when in the right mood. Not the one who everyone was still hoping to rattle off some wins at any moment and help lift RCR to greater heights. RCR was the third Cup organization Busch had driven for, and one that seemed to fit his hard-nosed racing mold. He started his Cup career at Hendrick Motorsports in 2004, but when he found out he would be without a ride in 2008, he landed at Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch spent 15 years at JGR, where he won 56 Cup races as well as Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. He moved to RCR in 2023. He won three races with the team, the last one in June 2023 at World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis. Busch also owned a race team that primarily competed in the truck series. Kyle Busch Motorsports won 100 truck races over 14 years with two driver championships (Erik Jones and Christopher Bell) and seven owners championships. His ownership of race teams connected him with hundreds of industry personnel, who have him to thank, at least in part, for helping mold their careers. But the 2015 Cup title might be one of his greatest accomplishments. The comeback from an accident at Daytona International Speedway where he broke his right leg and left ankle required an intense rehab that had him working hours on end to regain the strength to be able to compete. He missed 11 races, won soon thereafter – and captured the title. For those who didn’t think he should be the champion after missing 11 races? He didn’t think twice. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. And Busch often played the game. [NASCAR MOURNS: Tributes Pour In For Kyle Busch] Among his other accomplishments? The building of his family with wife Samantha and their two children, Brexton (11) and Lennix (4). Samantha and Kyle had trouble conceiving, and had Brexton through in vitro fertilization. When they discovered the high costs of the procedure, they dedicated their charitable efforts to raising funds so those who could not afford the price would still have a chance at becoming parents. Kyle raced against Brexton for the first time in micro sprints last year in March at a small dirt track in North Carolina. Kyle finished a little bit better and quipped with a laugh: “I’ve got bragging rights for the next couple of weeks.” That was Kyle Busch. Competitive even against his son. But also seeing the humor in such a statement. Busch could see the humor in racing in the moments he wasn’t seeing red amid the anger of losing. He would make fun of himself and others, especially those he felt had done him wrong. He would say things with a smirk or dripping with sarcasm, especially if he felt he was being unfairly singled out or treated unfairly. He could even find humor while seething. One of the funniest lines he ever delivered was in the aftermath of a fight a couple of years ago with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., when Stenhouse told Busch he would wreck him. Busch replied: “Bring it. … I suck just as bad as you.” He carried that brutal honesty whether he was glum with the way he was running or elated with wins. Whenever Busch would win a race, he would deliver his signature bow. An act of confidence and an act that implied: “Yes, I’ve got a lot of these wins, come try to get you some.” Fans would cheer. Fans would boo. Some lived to see him win. Some lived to see him lose. But he made them all feel alive. And, because of that, many will remember Kyle Busch as one of the greatest of all time.