# Kyle Busch

Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing, and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 7 and No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports. A highly accomplished racer, Busch is the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, winning titles in 2015 and 2019. He currently ranks 9th on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list and 1st in overall wins between the top three NASCAR divisions. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers of his generation and in NASCAR history, known for his dominance across the sport's three major series. Additionally, Busch briefly held the WWE 24/7 Championship. He is the younger brother of 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion Kurt Busch.
Busch is the former owner of Kyle Busch Motorsports, a race team that competed in the Xfinity Series from 2011 to 2013 and the Truck Series from 2010 to 2023. Known for his aggressive driving style and demeanor, he has earned several nicknames over the years, including "Rowdy" and "Wild Thing". He is also called "the Candy Man" due to his longtime sponsorship with Mars Inc., "Shrub" as a playful nod to being the younger brother of Kurt Busch (with a small bush being called a shrub), "Kyle Kush" because of his partnership with cannabis company 3Chi, and the self-proclaimed "KFB."

## Early life and career

Busch was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was introduced to racing at the age of six, driving a makeshift go-kart around the cul-de-sac in his family's neighborhood. Although he couldn’t reach the throttle, his father, Tom, controlled the gas pedal while Busch focused on steering and learning the basics of driving. Growing up, Busch spent time working in the family garage alongside his father and older brother, Kurt. By the age of ten, he had taken on the role of crew chief for Kurt’s dwarf car team.
Busch began his driving career in 1998, shortly after turning 13. Between 1999 and 2001, he won over 65 races in Legends car racing, claiming two track championships at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring. In 2001, he transitioned to late model racing, securing 10 victories at the Bullring that season.
At 16, Busch began competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 99 Ford for Roush Racing after replacing Nathan Haseleu, who was released midway through the 2001 season. He debuted at Indianapolis Raceway Park, finishing an impressive 9th in his first race. In his second race at Chicago Motor Speedway, he led until his truck ran out of fuel with 12 laps remaining.
Busch was fastest in practice for the 2001 Auto Club 200 at California Speedway in Fontana, CA, but was ruled ineligible to compete. This decision stemmed from an interpretation of the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, which prohibited individuals under 18 from participating in events sponsored by tobacco companies due to the CART FedEx Championship Series, running at the same venue that weekend, was sponsored by Marlboro. Tim Woods III replaced Busch in the No. 99 Ford and finished 25th. Busch competed in six Truck Series races in 2001, with two ninth-place finishes at IRP and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Six weeks after the Fontana incident, NASCAR implemented a minimum age requirement of 18, starting in 2002, to prevent similar incidents. This decision was influenced in part by Winston's sponsorship of NASCAR's premier Winston Cup Series. Following the new age restriction, Busch transitioned from NASCAR to the American Speed Association National Tour, where he finished 8th in the standings. In 2002, Busch graduated early with honors from Durango High School in Las Vegas, to focus on his racing career. That same year, he debuted in the ARCA RE/MAX Series at Lowe's Motor Speedway, finishing 12th in the No. 22 Chevrolet for WP Motorsports.

## NASCAR

Busch holds several NASCAR records, including the most wins in a season across the top three series in the modern era, with 24 wins in 2010. He also has the most all-time wins in all three national series, with 231 as of April 12, 2024. Busch set the record for most wins in a season in the Xfinity Series with 13 in 2010 and holds the overall record with 102 wins. He also has the most wins in the Truck Series with 66. Busch is the only driver in history to have 60 wins in each of NASCAR's top three series. In 2019, he tied the record for consecutive top-ten finishes to start a season, matching Morgan Shepherd's streak of 11. His victory at Auto Club Speedway in 2023 made him the record holder for most consecutive seasons with a win, at 19, a streak that ended in 2024 with a winless season.
At 19 years and 317 days old, Busch became NASCAR's youngest-ever pole winner in a Cup Series race at California Speedway in 2005. He also became the youngest driver to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2006. Busch made history as the first driver to win a race and a championship in a Toyota in the Cup Series, claiming victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2008 and securing the 2015 Cup championship. He is the only driver to win four consecutive spring races at Richmond International Raceway (2009–2012) and was the inaugural winner of the first Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway in 2011.
Busch, who began his NASCAR career in 2003, is one of only six drivers to have won championships in both the Cup Series and Xfinity Series. In 2005, he became the 14th of just 36 drivers to win a race in each of NASCAR's three national series. In 2009, Busch made history as the first driver to win two top-tier NASCAR races on the same day at Auto Club Speedway. In 2010, he became the first driver to win races in all three of NASCAR's top series in the same weekend at Bristol, a feat he repeated at the same track in 2017.
Busch made history by winning the 2009 Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway on his 24th birthday, becoming only the second driver in NASCAR history to win on their birthday. Twelve years later, on his 36th birthday, he captured victory again in the Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway, joining Cale Yarborough as the only two drivers to win on their birthday twice. In 2010, Kyle Busch Motorsports made an impressive debut, becoming the first Truck Series organization to win the owners' championship in its inaugural season, recording eight wins, 16 top-five finishes, and 21 top-ten finishes.
As of the completion of the 2022 Daytona 500, Busch holds the record for the most lifetime laps led in the history of the race, leading 324 laps, without ever securing a victory in the event.
In December 2021, M&M's/Mars announced it would end its primary sponsorship with Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2022 season. On September 13, 2022, Busch revealed he had signed a multi-year contract with Richard Childress Racing, beginning in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 13, 2022 |title=Kyle Busch to Join Richard Childress Racing's NASCAR Cup Series Stable in 2023 driving the number 8 car. |url=https://www.rcrracing.com/news-media/
* ↑ Weaver, Matt (May 3, 2021). "The Persevering Greatness of Kyle Busch". Autoweek. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
* ↑ "NASCAR's Kyle Busch wins WWE 24/7 championship title from R-Truth on Raw". December 3, 2019.
* ↑ Peltz, Jim (July 27, 2013). "Kyle Busch may be winning the race to maturity". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
* ↑ "Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing and Mars announce extension". NASCAR. February 28, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
* ↑ Pistone, Pete (June 13, 2007). "Hendrick makes room at inn; now Junior's all out of excuses". CBS SportsLine. Archived from the original on June 16, 2007.
* ↑ Howard, Jonathan (January 18, 2024). "RCR adds Zone Premium Nicotine Pouches as 'anchor partner' of Kyle Busch in 2024". On3.
* ↑ Martinelli, Michelle R. (July 19, 2020). "Kyle Busch had the best answer when asked about driving through the grass at Texas". USA Today. For The Win. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
* ↑ McGee, Ryan (November 29, 2011). "Busch brothers still stirring the pot". ESPN The Magazine. ESPN. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
* 1 2 3 "Kyle Busch Bio Continued". Joe Gibbs Racing. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* 1 2 "Hometown racer wins big". Las Vegas Sun. Las Vegas, NV. March 3, 2009. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* ↑ Kallman, Dave (August 3, 2001). "Busch-whacked". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, WI. p. 6C. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* ↑ Jenkins, Chris (August 15, 2001). "Busch brothers off to fast start". USA Today. McLean, VA. p. C6. ProQuest 408825280. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* ↑ Goddard, Joe (August 19, 2001). "Busch, 16, nearly pulls off a win". Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago, IL. p. 122. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* 1 2 Glick, Shav (November 3, 2001). "Busch's Chances Go Up in Smoke". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA. p. D7. ProQuest 421842387. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* ↑ Hilderbrand, Brian (September 6, 2005). "This time around, Kyle Busch kicks ash in Fontana". Las Vegas Sun. Las Vegas, NV. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* ↑ "Kyle Busch 2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* ↑ Fryer, Jenna (May 1, 2003). "Younger Busch ready for return". The Free Lance–Star. Fredericksburg, VA. p. B8. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* ↑ Long, Dustin (April 14, 2002). "As NASCAR goes national, its southern feel is fading". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, VA. p. C1. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* ↑ Smith, Steven Cole (December 2002). "And Baby Makes More". Car and Driver. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* ↑ "Kyle Busch - 2002 ARCA Re/Max Series Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
* ↑ Hembree, Mike (February 17, 2023). "Daytona 500 has frustrated many of the most accomplished drivers". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
* ↑ Ryan, Nate (December 20, 2021). "M&M's/Mars leaving Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2022 Cup season". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 13, 2022.