Kyle Busch
Encyclopedia
Kyle Thomas Busch, is an American NASCAR
driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars
/Interstate Batteries
Toyota Camry
for Joe Gibbs Racing
in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink
Toyota Camry
for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No. 18 Dollar General
Toyota Tundra
for his own team, Kyle Busch Motorsports
, in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
He currently holds the modern-era record for most race wins in a season across the top three NASCAR series with twenty-four wins, which he accomplished in 2010. On August 21, 2010, Busch became the first driver to win in all three of NASCAR's top three touring series in the same weekend (Bristol
). Busch became the first driver in Nationwide series history to lead more than 10,000 laps. Busch also holds the record for the most NASCAR Nationwide Series wins with 51, surpassing Mark Martin
's 49.
Busch is also only the second driver to ever win on his birthday, winning the 2009
Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway
, which was run on his 24th birthday. Cale Yarborough
was the first.
Kyle Busch married Samantha Sarcinella on December 31, 2010 in Chicago. Sarcinella is a native of St. John, Indiana and a graduate of Purdue University.
He is the younger brother of 2004 Nextel Cup Series champion Kurt Busch
.
of his family's Las Vegas
neighborhood in a makeshift go-kart
. Although he was too small to reach the throttle, Busch still was able to pick up the basics from his father Tom, who controlled the gas pedal as his young son steered the kart. Throughout his childhood, Busch spent many hours as an apprentice to his father and older brother Kurt in the family garage learning to build and repair race cars. By the age of 10, he was a full-fledged mechanic and served as crew chief of his older brother's dwarf car team.
In 1998, shortly after his 13th birthday, Busch's driving career officially began. From 1999 through 2001, Busch earned more than 65 wins in legends car racing as he racked up two track championships at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
's "Bullring" before moving to late model
s. He captured 10 victories in late model competition at the Bullring in 2001.
Craftsman Truck Series (now Camping World Truck Series) for Roush Racing
as a replacement for Nathan Haseleu
and Chuck Hossfeld
, who were released midway in the 2001 season. He made his debut at Indianapolis Raceway Park
, impressing many people with a 9th place finish. In his second race at Chicago Motor Speedway
, he was leading with less than 20 laps to go until his truck ran out of fuel with 12 laps to go.
Busch was the fastest in practice for a 2001 Craftsman Truck Series race at California Speedway
in Fontana, CA, when he was ejected from the track by CART
officials because the American Racing Wheels 200 was part of a CART weekend featuring the Marlboro 500 CART FedEx Championship Series event. Marlboro threw Busch out of the garage because of an interpretation of the Master Settlement Agreement
of 1998, prohibiting people under 18 years of age in participating in events sponsored by tobacco companies. He earned two top-10 finishes in six starts in the #99 Eldon
Ford F-150
in what had been scheduled to be a full-season campaign for 2002.
Six weeks after the incident, NASCAR imposed a minimum age of 18 years starting in 2002 to prevent future incidents from happening again, because Winston
was the premier series sponsor at the time. When the age requirements were put in place, Busch switched from NASCAR to the American Speed Association
(ASA) series, finishing 8th in points.
In 2002, Busch graduated a year early with honors from Durango High School
in Las Vegas, Nevada to focus on his driving career. That same year, he made his debut in the ARCA RE/MAX Series
at Lowe's Motor Speedway
, finishing twelfth in the #22 WP Motorsports Chevrolet.
In 2003, Busch signed a driver development contract with Hendrick Motorsports
, and drove seven ARCA races in their #87 ditech
entry. He won his first two races at Nashville Superspeedway
and Kentucky Speedway
, and won his most recent ARCA race the following year at Daytona.
He is often nicknamed "Shrub", since he is the younger brother of NASCAR driver Kurt Busch and a small bush is called a shrub.
for NEMCO Motorsports
. During his seat time in that ride, Busch finished a Busch Series career-high second in his first NASCAR Busch Series
race at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in May 2003.
Busch's first full-time season began in 2004, as he competed in the Lowe's car vacated by Brian Vickers
, who had moved up to the NEXTEL Cup series. Busch clinched Rookie of the Year
honors in the series, receiving his first top-10 finish of the season at the second race in Rockingham, won his first pole of the season in the fifth race, and claimed his first victory at the Richmond International Raceway at the Funai 250 in May. Busch went on to claim five wins in 2004, making him the record holder of most races won by a driver in their rookie
season, and finished second to Martin Truex, Jr. in the overall points. Busch also qualified for six Nextel Cup races out of nine attempts in 2004 in the #84 Carquest
Chevrolet
for Hendrick, his highest finish being 24th at California Speedway
.
After the announcement that long time Hendrick NEXTEL Cup series driver Terry Labonte
would be running a limited schedule in 2005 and 2006, Busch was picked to take over the #5 Kellogg's
/Carquest Auto Parts Chevrolet Monte Carlo, crew chiefed by Alan Gustafson. He won his first career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race on September 4 in the Sony HD 500
at California Speedway, driving for Rick Hendrick. At the end of the season Busch won the 2005 Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year
with 2 wins and a 20th place points finish. The earlier win at Fontana made Busch eligible to become a part of the 20 NASCAR Triple Threats, a group of drivers who have won a race in NASCAR's top three divisions. At the time, he was the youngest-ever winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, at 20 years, 125 days, a mark that has since been eclipsed by current teammate Joey Logano
. He also became the youngest pole sitter in NEXTEL Cup history after winning the pole for the 2005 Auto Club 500.
Busch returned to the Craftsman Truck Series in 2005 for a limited number of races in Billy Ballew Motorsports
's Chevrolets, winning his first career truck series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway
on May 20, 2005, becoming the youngest driver to win a Truck Series race, at 20 years 19 days. He would also win the truck race at Dover International Speedway
, and the fall race in Atlanta Motor Speedway
, both 200-mile races. In addition, he ran a limited schedule in the Busch Series driving the #5 and #57 for Hendrick. He won at Lowe's Motor Speedway; but did not qualify for the race at Texas Motor Speedway
, a track he had won the pole at one year earlier.
In 2006, he took the victory in the Lenox Industrial Tools 300
at New Hampshire International Speedway
, and qualified for the Chase for the Cup during the last race before the 2006 Chase at Richmond International Raceway
, in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, where he finished second after leading the most laps. He entered the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup fourth in Cup points. Busch started the first race of the Chase mid-pack in the 43 car field at the New Hampshire International Speedway
but got caught up in an incident on lap four when he and the #66 Best Buy
Chevrolet of Jeff Green
made contact, knocking his front suspension out of line, and eventually spun out and wrecked the car. Busch followed up the next week at Dover International Speedway
with an initially strong run before an engine failure took him out of the race. Busch then went to the Kansas Speedway
and led several laps before being caught for speeding on pit road and finished in the bottom half of the top-ten. He finished the season in tenth place in the 2006 NEXTEL Cup standings, 448 points behind champion Jimmie Johnson
. His winnings for the 2006 season sum up to $5,537,337. Busch is currently the youngest driver to make the NASCAR NEXTEL Chase for the Cup.
Busch repeated his Lowe's victory in 2006 in a truck painted to resemble the Rowdy Burns car from Days of Thunder
, in a tribute to Bobby Hamilton
(who was the stunt driver for the character), who was in the midst of a cancer battle which would later take his life. In addition, he ran nearly the entire 2006 season in the #5 Lowe's
/Shop-Vac Chevy, winning one race and finishing seventh in points despite skipping one race.
Busch became the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver to win in NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow
at the 2007 Food City 500
at Bristol Motor Speedway
. He also scored Hendrick Motorsports
their 200th NASCAR win (in all series), and also scored Chevrolet
's 600th NASCAR victory, the first by the Chevrolet Impala
since Wendell Scott
's 1963 win in Jacksonville, Florida. At the Aaron's 312 Busch Race at Talladega, Busch went on a wild ride down the backstretch when he got turned into teammate Casey Mears' car by Tony Stewart. The car spun towards the outside wall and flipped onto its roof. The car then slid down the track and hit the turn 3 grass, flipping side over side. The car flipped a total of seven times, but Busch walked away unscathed. In the Nextel All-Star Challenge at the Lowe's Motor Speedway
, he and older brother Kurt Busch
got together, knocking them both out of the race. In June 2007, Busch announced his plans to leave Hendrick Motorsports after the 2007 season. The two sides had been working on a contract extension but eventually agreed mutually to part ways. It was announced the same day that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would be replacing him at Hendrick Motorsports. However, days later Busch stated that he had no idea he was going to be released. It was announced two months later that Busch had chosen Joe Gibbs Racing
for his team in the 2008
season. He replaced J. J. Yeley
in the #18 Toyota Camry
, with M&M's
coming over from Yates Racing
as the primary sponsor. In the Busch Series, he ran nineteen races and won four times, garnering a sixteenth-place points finish. He also made eleven starts in the Craftsman Truck Series for Billy Ballew in the #51 Flanders Beef Patties truck, winning 3 times.
Daytona 500
before finishing 4th. He followed that with another 4th place finish in the Auto Club 500
. As a result, he took the lead in the points standings for the first time in his career. Busch led 173 of the 325 laps and won the Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway
. It was the 5th career win for Busch, and the first Sprint Cup points race victory for Toyota.
On August 23 at Bristol Motor Speedway
, Carl Edwards tapped Busch's rear bumper on lap 470/500 to take the lead Busch had owned for most of the race. After the race, Busch pulled alongside to bump into Edwards repeatedly, to "let him know I didn't appreciate the way he passed me." Edwards responded by spinning out Busch. The following week, NASCAR announced that both Edwards and Busch were being placed on probation for the off-track argument.
Busch's hopes for his first championship were dashed by two consecutive DNF's at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway
, wiping out his 20-point lead and dropping him to 12th in points. However, Busch ralled back with top fives and gained two more spots to close out his first season with JGR 10th in points. Busch had a career-high eight wins and twenty-one top-tens that season.
Busch also ran 30 Nationwide races
, and along with Denny Hamlin
, Joey Logano
and Tony Stewart
helped win the 2008 Nationwide series Owners Championship for Joe Gibbs Racing
for the number 20 car. He ran in the series for three different teams and in 4 different numbers, running Braun Racing
's number 32 with Beringer
and Dollar General
sponsorship, the 92 Toyota with Zippo BLU sponsorship for D'Hondt Motorsports in the Zippo 200
, and for Joe Gibbs Racing in the number 18 with sponsorship from Interstate Batteries
, DLP, Z-Line Designs and Southern Farm Bureau Insurance and the number 20 with Doosan Infracore, Farm Bureau and Z-Line as sponsors.
Busch accumulated 4 poles, 20 top tens and 18 top fives in his partial season, and won 10 races which tied the Nationwide series record for most wins in a season with Sam Ard
, who had accomplished the feat some 24 years earlier. In the Craftsman Truck Series, Busch finished second in the Chevy Silverado 250 at Daytona International Speedway
, and followed it up a week later with a win in the San Bernardino County 200 at the newly named Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Two weeks later at Atlanta, he raced to another win in the American Commercial Lines 200. Busch acquired his 2nd Craftsman Truck Series pole in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway
. His 3rd win of the 2008 truck series
season was at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday, August 20, 2008.
On February 12 2009
, Busch won the second Gatorade Duel at Daytona. This was the first qualifying race win for Busch, allowing him to start fourth in the 51st Daytona 500
. Busch led 88 laps, leading the most for the second year in a row. However, he was taken out on lap 125 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned into Brian Vickers
' car, starting a chain reaction crash that sent Vickers into Busch's car, wrecking it, and several other lead lap cars. The following week, Busch made NASCAR
history, becoming the first person in the history of the sport to win races in two of NASCAR's touring series in the same day by winning the San Bernardino County 200 in the afternoon and the Stater Brothers 300
in the evening. The next week, he won the 2009 Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
in his hometown. After the race, he and his brother exchanged a long, passionate hug, perhaps signaling the end of their feud. Darrell Waltrip was quoted as saying it was the "sweetest thing he had ever seen". Busch was the first to win three Cup races in 2009, collecting his third win at Richmond International Raceway
. With his win in the 2009 Crown Royal Presents the Russ Friedman 400
, Busch joined Cale Yarborough
as the only drivers to win on their birthday.
Busch was involved in a violent wreck at the end of the 2009 Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola
at Daytona International Speedway
. While leading on the final lap, only yards from the finish line, Tony Stewart
and Busch made contact, sending Busch spinning hard into the outside wall, his car nearly flipping over, which was then hit by Kasey Kahne
, sending the car up on its nose. Busch took another hard hit in the driver's side from teammate Joey Logano
before spinning to a stop in the infield. Stewart won the race.
Busch would finsh 5th at Richmond, but he missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup by 8 points. Brian Vickers
would get the last spot.
In the Nationwide Series on November 21, 2009, Kyle Busch won both the Nationwide Series finale
and his first NASCAR Championship, becoming the first driver since Sam Ard in 1983 to win the season finale and the championship in the same year. Busch finished the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series
season with 9 wins, 25 top 5's, and 30 top 10's.
Busch's 2009
season in the newly-renamed Camping World Truck Series started off much like the 2008 season had. Finishing second in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway
to Todd Bodine
, as they had finished in 2008, Busch then dominated the San Bernardino County 200 a week later at Auto Club Speedway, winning the pole and leading 95 of 100 laps. Bodine finished second – again, the same as the two had finished in this race the year before. The following race, the American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
, Busch again won the pole, and overcame an ill-handling truck as well as transmission problems to take the lead in the closing laps. Busch was able to hold off Kevin Harvick
to win the race for the second year in a row. It was his fourth win in five Truck Series starts at Atlanta.
On December 11, 2009, Kyle Busch announced the formation of Kyle Busch Motorsports
that will field two teams in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2010. KBM will have two truck teams running in the series. The #18 Toyota Tundra was to be driven by Busch part time, with the remainder of races to be driven by Brian Ickler
. The second truck, the #56 Toyota Tundra, was to be driven by Tayler Malsam
. However, after both Ickler and Malsam accepted jobs to drive in the Nationwide Series, and while suffering financial troubles due to lack of sponsorship, Busch withdrew the #56 from competition and has hired various drivers such as Johnny Benson
and Kasey Kahne
as well as Brian Ickler
to fill in on #18 when Busch wasn't driving it himself.
On August 21, 2010, Kyle Busch became the first driver in NASCAR history to win all 3 NASCAR tour events in one weekend. This was achieved at Bristol with a win for the Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide Series, and the Sprint Cup Series. Busch started 19th in his Doublemint Toyota. He worked his way to the front, but Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart led him until a caution came out. Stewart checked up, allowing Tony Raines in the #37 car to hit his rear bumper, losing him the lead and the race. On the restart, Busch passed Johnson for the lead, but soon after Johnson was turned into the wall by Juan Pablo Montoya. Kyle Busch continued on to win the race leading the most laps and setting yet another record.
Now Kyle is one of the most dominant forces in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Series. In the Nationwide series he won 11 races in 2010, breaking the all-time record for most Nationwide Series wins in a season previously held by Sam Ard
with 10. On October 30, 2010, Busch scored a controversial victory in the Camping World Truck Series Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway
, which saw Busch's truck wiggle below the track's double-yellow "out-of-bounds" line as Busch made the winning pass on second-place finisher Aric Almirola
at the finish line.
For 2011, Busch's Speedweeks started off on a low note, as he crashed out of the Budweiser Shootout
along with teammate Joey Logano. Busch also raced in all 3 NASCAR events at Daytona, finishing 5th in the Truck Race, 7th in the Nationwide race, and 8th in the Daytona 500. The next week at Phoenix, Busch dominated the Truck race and led every single lap in the Bashas' Supermarkets 200.
Kyle Would also Sweep the weekend at Bristol in the Nationwide and Cup Series on the March 19th and March 20 Race Weekend at Thunder Valley.
On April 30, 2011, Kyle won at Richmond International Raceway, capturing his 2nd win in the 2011 season.
Following an on-track incident with Kevin Harvick
during and after the Southern 500
at Darlington Speedway, Kyle was fined $25,000 and put on probation for 4 races (plus the All-Star Race).
Following the O'Reilly
Auto Parts 250, pit reporter Ray Dunlap tweeted
, “Hot news from the track. Grandpa Childress put a whipping on Kyle Busch in the truck garage". Dunlap mistakenly referred to him as "kubu", which is Twitter shorthand for Kurt Busch, who was not involved.
It is believed that Kyle Busch's post-race bump of Joey Coulter, who drove the #22 Richard Childress Racing-owned Chevrolet
Silverado
, was in response to Coulter passing Busch on the final lap. About 30 minutes after the race, witnesses say that Childress came up to Busch, put him in a head lock and started punching him. Busch, who was still on probation at the time of the incident, did not violate his probation. Childress, however, was fined $150,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until December 31, 2011. Busch said in an interview that he did not hit Coulter's truck intentionally and that it was a congratulatory bump. He also said that he would pay Childress for the damage on Coulter's truck.
On August 21, 2011, Busch won the Pure Michigan 400 for his 4th victory of the 2011 season and became the first man to clinch a spot in the Chase. Jeff Gordon
was the class of the field late, but after a late race debris caution, Busch beat Gordon and Matt Kenseth
out of the pits and held off Jimmie Johnson
for the win.
On August 26, 2011 Busch won the Nationwide Series at Bristol Motor Speedway
surpassing Mark Martin
for the most Nationwide series wins ever, with 50, and also simultaneously became the first driver to win three consecutive races at Bristol Motor Speedway
in the Nationwide Series. He also won this race in one of the closest finishes in series history, as he won the race by 0.019 seconds over teammate Joey Logano
.
On November 4, 2011, Busch was involved in an incident during the 2011 WinStar World Casino 350K at Texas Motor Speedway
. After a racing incident with series regular and championship contender Ron Hornaday
, Busch deliberately turned him into the outside wall under caution, ending Hornaday's title hopes. NASCAR black-flagged Busch for the rest of the race. The next morning, NASCAR announced that Busch would remain parked for the remainder of the weekend, including the 2011 O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge and the 2011 AAA Texas 500. NASCAR took this action under rules that allow it to park a driver in order to ensure the "orderly conduct of the event," an action which is not appealable. Denny Hamlin and Michael McDowell stepped up to replace Busch in both the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup series races. It was the first time since what is now the Camping World Truck Series was launched in 1995 that NASCAR has parked a driver across all three national series, and only the third cross-series sanction in NASCAR's 64-year history. NASCAR's action mathematically eliminated Busch from contention for the Sprint Cup, though any realistic chance of him winning it ended earlier in the Chase.
Later that day, Busch issued an apology to his fans, sponsors and teammates, saying that the Texas incident was "certainly a step backward."
On November 7, NASCAR fined Busch $50,000 for "actions detrimental to stock car racing." While it lifted the parking directive, it placed Busch on probation for the rest of the year, saying that he will be suspended indefinitely if he commits another offense detrimental to stock car racing or disrupts the orderly conduct of a NASCAR event.
On November 10, ESPN's David Newton reported that M&M's
, the primary sponsor for Busch's Sprint Cup team, wanted its name off the car for the last two races of the 2011 season. M&M's maker, Mars, Incorporated
, had harshly criticized Busch's behavior in Texas. Newton said that this has led Joe Gibbs Racing to open talks with Aric Almirola
about taking over for Busch for the last two Sprint Cup races. Earlier, Z-Line Designs asked that Hamlin take over as the driver for Busch's Nationwide Series team. Later that night, however, it was decided that Busch would remain as the driver for the Sprint Cup team, but secondary sponsor Interstate Batteries
will be the sole sponsor for the final two races of 2011. M&M's would return as sponsor for the 2012 season.
(Data current as of November 5, 2011)
and Jonathan Summerton
before the team folded due to economic issues. Busch was scheduled to test drive a Toyota F1 car at the end of 2008 season, but could not make it in the end because of a commitment to the Nationwide Series banquet.
and Electric Visual, with both appearing on his late model at one time or another.
During the 2008 season, Busch announced the "Kyle's Miles" program, inviting consumers to go to www.dogsrule.com. Kyle's Miles is a team-up with Pedigree
to help dogs in shelters and breed rescue organizations.
and speeding in Troutman
, North Carolina
, driving 128 mph (57.2 m/s) in a 45 mph (20.1 m/s) speed limit zone. He claims he got carried away test driving a Lexus LFA
and issued a public apology. On August 23, 2011, he received a $1,000 fine and had his license suspended for 45 days after he pleaded guilty to speeding. Busch also will have to serve 30 hours of community service and 1 year of unsupervised probation.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is a worldwide manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products with US$30 billion in annual sales in 2010, and is ranked as the 5th largest privately held company in the United States by Forbes. Headquartered in McLean, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia,...
/Interstate Batteries
Interstate Batteries
Interstate Battery System of America, Inc., a.k.a. Interstate Batteries, is a privately owned company that markets automotive batteries manufactured by Johnson Controls through independent distributors to more than 200,000 automotive shops worldwide. The company is based in Dallas, Texas...
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink
NOS (drink)
NOS Energy Drink is an energy drink sometimes distributed in a bottle designed to look like a NOS cartridge. It is produced by the High Performance Beverage Company, and licensed by Holley Performance, which owns the trademark...
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No. 18 Dollar General
Dollar General
Dollar General Corp. is a U.S. chain of variety stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 2011, Dollar General operated over 9,300 stores in 35 U.S. states....
Toyota Tundra
Toyota Tundra
The Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup truck introduced by Toyota in the year 2000. It was widely considered to be the first full-size import-brand truck built with an American look and feel and a refined V8 engine. The Tundra was eventually nominated for the North American Truck of the Year...
for his own team, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch Motorsports is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and late model team that is owned and operated by Kyle Busch, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Truck Series driver...
, in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
He currently holds the modern-era record for most race wins in a season across the top three NASCAR series with twenty-four wins, which he accomplished in 2010. On August 21, 2010, Busch became the first driver to win in all three of NASCAR's top three touring series in the same weekend (Bristol
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
). Busch became the first driver in Nationwide series history to lead more than 10,000 laps. Busch also holds the record for the most NASCAR Nationwide Series wins with 51, surpassing Mark Martin
Mark Martin
Mark Martin may refer to:* Mark Martin , American racecar driver* Mark Martin , American cartoonist* Mark Martin , American judge* Mark Martin , British murderer...
's 49.
Busch is also only the second driver to ever win on his birthday, winning the 2009
2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...
Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
, which was run on his 24th birthday. Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
was the first.
Kyle Busch married Samantha Sarcinella on December 31, 2010 in Chicago. Sarcinella is a native of St. John, Indiana and a graduate of Purdue University.
He is the younger brother of 2004 Nextel Cup Series champion Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch is an American NASCAR and NHRA driver. He drives the No. 22 Shell Oil Company/Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and will race on an "opportunity permitting" basis in the Pro Stock division of NHRA...
.
Early life
Kyle Busch's first driving lessons came at the age of 6 when he drove around the cul-de-sacCul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
of his family's Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
neighborhood in a makeshift go-kart
Go-kart
thumb|A [[Kart racing|racing kart]] at the [[Commission Internationale de Karting|CIK-FIA]] European Championship 2008A go-kart is a small four-wheeled vehicle...
. Although he was too small to reach the throttle, Busch still was able to pick up the basics from his father Tom, who controlled the gas pedal as his young son steered the kart. Throughout his childhood, Busch spent many hours as an apprentice to his father and older brother Kurt in the family garage learning to build and repair race cars. By the age of 10, he was a full-fledged mechanic and served as crew chief of his older brother's dwarf car team.
In 1998, shortly after his 13th birthday, Busch's driving career officially began. From 1999 through 2001, Busch earned more than 65 wins in legends car racing as he racked up two track championships at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
's "Bullring" before moving to late model
Late model
A "late model car" is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. The term is broadly used in car racing, and often appears in common use, as in "The officer was driving an unmarked, late model sedan."There is no precise...
s. He captured 10 victories in late model competition at the Bullring in 2001.
Early career
At the age of 16, Busch began competing in the NASCARNASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Craftsman Truck Series (now Camping World Truck Series) for Roush Racing
Roush Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
as a replacement for Nathan Haseleu
Nathan Haseleu
Nathan Haseleu is a racecar driver from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. He competed in the Craftsman Truck Series, and now competes in the ASA Midwest Tour, the CRA Super Series, and the Wisconsin Challenge Series....
and Chuck Hossfeld
Chuck Hossfeld
Chuck Hossfeld , is an American race car driver and team owner. He is currently a full-time racer in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in the #22 car....
, who were released midway in the 2001 season. He made his debut at Indianapolis Raceway Park
O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis is a racing circuit complex in Brownsburg, Indiana...
, impressing many people with a 9th place finish. In his second race at Chicago Motor Speedway
Chicago Motor Speedway
The Chicago Motor Speedway at Sportsman's Park located in Cicero, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, was built in 1999 by a group including Chip Ganassi, owner of Chip Ganassi Racing. In 2002 the oval shaped track suspended operations due to financial conditions in the motorsports industry. The...
, he was leading with less than 20 laps to go until his truck ran out of fuel with 12 laps to go.
Busch was the fastest in practice for a 2001 Craftsman Truck Series race at California Speedway
California Speedway
Auto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
in Fontana, CA, when he was ejected from the track by CART
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
officials because the American Racing Wheels 200 was part of a CART weekend featuring the Marlboro 500 CART FedEx Championship Series event. Marlboro threw Busch out of the garage because of an interpretation of the Master Settlement Agreement
Master Settlement Agreement
The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement was entered in November 1998, originally between the four largest US tobacco companies and the attorneys general of 46 states...
of 1998, prohibiting people under 18 years of age in participating in events sponsored by tobacco companies. He earned two top-10 finishes in six starts in the #99 Eldon
Eldon
-Places:* Eldon, County Durham, England* Eldon Lane, County Durham, England* Old Eldon, County Durham, England* Eldon Hill, Derbyshire, England* Eldon, Iowa, USA* Eldon, Missouri, USA* Eldon Township, Benson County, North Dakota, USA* Eldon, Oklahoma, USA...
Ford F-150
Ford F-Series
The F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company which has been sold continuously for over six decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150...
in what had been scheduled to be a full-season campaign for 2002.
Six weeks after the incident, NASCAR imposed a minimum age of 18 years starting in 2002 to prevent future incidents from happening again, because Winston
Winston (cigarette)
Winston cigarettes are manufactured by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company or its newer incarnation as RJR Nabisco and/or its affiliates.The brand was introduced in 1954, and became the best-selling brand of cigarettes in the United States...
was the premier series sponsor at the time. When the age requirements were put in place, Busch switched from NASCAR to the American Speed Association
American Speed Association
The American Speed Association is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana and currently is headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida. ASA was most famous for a national touring series which began in 1973 but was...
(ASA) series, finishing 8th in points.
In 2002, Busch graduated a year early with honors from Durango High School
Durango High School (Nevada)
Durango High School is a public high school in Spring Valley, Nevada with an enrollment of approximately 2600 students. It is a part of the Area 4 region of the Clark County School District, which is the fifth largest school district in the United States....
in Las Vegas, Nevada to focus on his driving career. That same year, he made his debut in the ARCA RE/MAX Series
ARCA RE/MAX Series
-History:The series started as a local touring group. Led by John Marcum, the Midwest Association for Race Cars was formed with drivers like Iggy Katona and Nelson Stacy being early drivers.The series became a part of the Daytona Speedweeks in 1964...
at Lowe's Motor Speedway
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
, finishing twelfth in the #22 WP Motorsports Chevrolet.
In 2003, Busch signed a driver development contract with Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
, and drove seven ARCA races in their #87 ditech
Ditech
Ditech, based in Costa Mesa, California, was a lender, offering mortgages and lines of credit as a member of Ally Financial, specifically GMAC ResCap which purchased Ditech from its private owner in 1999...
entry. He won his first two races at Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...
and Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned...
, and won his most recent ARCA race the following year at Daytona.
He is often nicknamed "Shrub", since he is the younger brother of NASCAR driver Kurt Busch and a small bush is called a shrub.
2003–2007
Upon turning 18, Busch partnered with Hendrick Motorsports to run six NASCAR Busch Series races at selected tracks, running the #87 Ditech.com Chevrolet Monte CarloChevrolet Monte Carlo
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made two-door coupe introduced for model year 1970, and manufactured over six generations through model year 2007. It was marketed as a personal-luxury coupe through most of its history, with the last model version being classified as a full-sized coupe...
for NEMCO Motorsports
NEMCO Motorsports
NEMCO Motorsports is a NASCAR team that is owned by driver Joe Nemechek and his family. After a two-year hiatus, NEMCO Motorsports fielded full time entries in both the Cup and Nationwide Series in 2009 with driver Joe Nemechek. It carried the number 87 in both Cup and Nationwide. The team ran...
. During his seat time in that ride, Busch finished a Busch Series career-high second in his first NASCAR Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
race at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in May 2003.
Busch's first full-time season began in 2004, as he competed in the Lowe's car vacated by Brian Vickers
Brian Vickers
Brian Lee Vickers is a American NASCAR driver. He was the 2003 Busch Series champion, and at age 20, became the youngest champion in any of NASCAR's three top-tier series...
, who had moved up to the NEXTEL Cup series. Busch clinched Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Rookie of the Year
The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year....
honors in the series, receiving his first top-10 finish of the season at the second race in Rockingham, won his first pole of the season in the fifth race, and claimed his first victory at the Richmond International Raceway at the Funai 250 in May. Busch went on to claim five wins in 2004, making him the record holder of most races won by a driver in their rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season, and finished second to Martin Truex, Jr. in the overall points. Busch also qualified for six Nextel Cup races out of nine attempts in 2004 in the #84 Carquest
Carquest
Carquest Auto Parts is a chain of auto-supply stores. There are over 3,400 Carquest Auto Parts locations in North America. The company is a supplier to National Account customers like Goodyear, Firestone, CarMax, Meineke, Midas, American Tire Dealers. General Parts International Inc. is the largest...
Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
for Hendrick, his highest finish being 24th at California Speedway
California Speedway
Auto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
.
After the announcement that long time Hendrick NEXTEL Cup series driver Terry Labonte
Terry Labonte
Terrance Lee Labonte is a semi-retired NASCAR driver who occasionally drives in the Sprint Cup Series when called upon and is a two-time Winston Cup and IROC champion. He currently drives the #32 U.S. Chrome Ford for FAS Lane Racing. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had...
would be running a limited schedule in 2005 and 2006, Busch was picked to take over the #5 Kellogg's
Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods...
/Carquest Auto Parts Chevrolet Monte Carlo, crew chiefed by Alan Gustafson. He won his first career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race on September 4 in the Sony HD 500
Sony HD 500
The Pepsi Max 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. It was the second of two Sprint Cup Series races held at the Auto Club Speedway and in 2009 and 2010 it was run in October as part of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.The...
at California Speedway, driving for Rick Hendrick. At the end of the season Busch won the 2005 Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Rookie of the Year
The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year....
with 2 wins and a 20th place points finish. The earlier win at Fontana made Busch eligible to become a part of the 20 NASCAR Triple Threats, a group of drivers who have won a race in NASCAR's top three divisions. At the time, he was the youngest-ever winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, at 20 years, 125 days, a mark that has since been eclipsed by current teammate Joey Logano
Joey Logano
Joseph Thomas "Joey" Logano , nicknamed "sliced bread" by Randy LaJoie, is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs...
. He also became the youngest pole sitter in NEXTEL Cup history after winning the pole for the 2005 Auto Club 500.
Busch returned to the Craftsman Truck Series in 2005 for a limited number of races in Billy Ballew Motorsports
Billy Ballew Motorsports
Billy Ballew Motorsports is a team that competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. They were formed in 1996 by Georgia businessman Billy Ballew. They currently field the #51 Bullet Liner F-150 for Colin Braun.- Fasscore Motorsports :...
's Chevrolets, winning his first career truck series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
on May 20, 2005, becoming the youngest driver to win a Truck Series race, at 20 years 19 days. He would also win the truck race at Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
, and the fall race in Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
, both 200-mile races. In addition, he ran a limited schedule in the Busch Series driving the #5 and #57 for Hendrick. He won at Lowe's Motor Speedway; but did not qualify for the race at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
, a track he had won the pole at one year earlier.
In 2006, he took the victory in the Lenox Industrial Tools 300
Lenox Industrial Tools 300
The Lenox Industrial Tools 301 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Newell Rubbermaid, through its Lenox Industrial Tools subsidiary, is the title sponsor of the race and has been since 2006...
at New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
, and qualified for the Chase for the Cup during the last race before the 2006 Chase at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
, in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, where he finished second after leading the most laps. He entered the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup fourth in Cup points. Busch started the first race of the Chase mid-pack in the 43 car field at the New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
but got caught up in an incident on lap four when he and the #66 Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
Chevrolet of Jeff Green
Jeff Green (NASCAR)
Jeffery Green is an American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives part time in the Nationwide Series for Tri-Star Motorsports in their #44 entry and the Sprint Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports in their #55 entry.Green's 1990 Nashville Speedway USA championship...
made contact, knocking his front suspension out of line, and eventually spun out and wrecked the car. Busch followed up the next week at Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
with an initially strong run before an engine failure took him out of the race. Busch then went to the Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...
and led several laps before being caught for speeding on pit road and finished in the bottom half of the top-ten. He finished the season in tenth place in the 2006 NEXTEL Cup standings, 448 points behind champion Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports....
. His winnings for the 2006 season sum up to $5,537,337. Busch is currently the youngest driver to make the NASCAR NEXTEL Chase for the Cup.
Busch repeated his Lowe's victory in 2006 in a truck painted to resemble the Rowdy Burns car from Days of Thunder
Days of Thunder
Days of Thunder is a 1990 American auto racing film released by Paramount Pictures, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The cast includes Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and Michael Rooker. The film also features appearances...
, in a tribute to Bobby Hamilton
Bobby Hamilton
Charles Robert Hamilton, Sr. was a driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit and the winner of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. Hamilton owned Bobby Hamilton Racing, which fielded three entries in each NCWTS event...
(who was the stunt driver for the character), who was in the midst of a cancer battle which would later take his life. In addition, he ran nearly the entire 2006 season in the #5 Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...
/Shop-Vac Chevy, winning one race and finishing seventh in points despite skipping one race.
Busch became the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver to win in NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow
Car of Tomorrow
The Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
at the 2007 Food City 500
2007 Food City 500
The Food City 500 was the fifth race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season, and was run on Sunday, March 25, 2007 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.- Overview :...
at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
. He also scored Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
their 200th NASCAR win (in all series), and also scored Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
's 600th NASCAR victory, the first by the Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
since Wendell Scott
Wendell Scott
Wendell Oliver Scott was an American stock car racing driver from Danville, Virginia. He is the only black driver to win a race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series. According to a 2008 biography of Scott, he broke the color barrier in Southern stock car racing on May 23, 1952, at the Danville...
's 1963 win in Jacksonville, Florida. At the Aaron's 312 Busch Race at Talladega, Busch went on a wild ride down the backstretch when he got turned into teammate Casey Mears' car by Tony Stewart. The car spun towards the outside wall and flipped onto its roof. The car then slid down the track and hit the turn 3 grass, flipping side over side. The car flipped a total of seven times, but Busch walked away unscathed. In the Nextel All-Star Challenge at the Lowe's Motor Speedway
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
, he and older brother Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch is an American NASCAR and NHRA driver. He drives the No. 22 Shell Oil Company/Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and will race on an "opportunity permitting" basis in the Pro Stock division of NHRA...
got together, knocking them both out of the race. In June 2007, Busch announced his plans to leave Hendrick Motorsports after the 2007 season. The two sides had been working on a contract extension but eventually agreed mutually to part ways. It was announced the same day that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would be replacing him at Hendrick Motorsports. However, days later Busch stated that he had no idea he was going to be released. It was announced two months later that Busch had chosen Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
for his team in the 2008
2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season began on February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by pole qualifying on Sunday, February 10, 2008 for the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17...
season. He replaced J. J. Yeley
J. J. Yeley
Christopher Beltram Hernandez Yeley is a NASCAR driver. Nicknamed "J. J." , he is currently a competitor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving for Front Row Motorsports.-Open wheel:Yeley initially made a mark for himself in the world of auto racing when he took the Hoosier state by...
in the #18 Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
, with M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...
coming over from Yates Racing
Yates Racing
Yates Racing was an American stock car racing racing team that competed in NASCAR until the 2009 season when it merged with Richard Petty Motorsports. Previously known as Robert Yates Racing, the team was owned by Doug Yates, who has officially owned the team since his father Robert's retirement on...
as the primary sponsor. In the Busch Series, he ran nineteen races and won four times, garnering a sixteenth-place points finish. He also made eleven starts in the Craftsman Truck Series for Billy Ballew in the #51 Flanders Beef Patties truck, winning 3 times.
2008–Present
Busch's tenure with Gibbs started off with leading the most laps (86) in the 50th Annual2008 Daytona 500
The 2008 Daytona 500 was the 50th annual running of "The Great American Race", the Daytona 500. The race took place on Sunday, February 17, 2008 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was the 50th to be run since the first in 1959, won by Lee Petty. To commemorate...
Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
before finishing 4th. He followed that with another 4th place finish in the Auto Club 500
Auto Club 500
The Auto Club 400 is a long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Prior to 2005, the race was held in late April or early May, and until 2010, the race was run at a length of 500 miles. When the NASCAR Realignment of 2005 was made, the race...
. As a result, he took the lead in the points standings for the first time in his career. Busch led 173 of the 325 laps and won the Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
. It was the 5th career win for Busch, and the first Sprint Cup points race victory for Toyota.
On August 23 at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
, Carl Edwards tapped Busch's rear bumper on lap 470/500 to take the lead Busch had owned for most of the race. After the race, Busch pulled alongside to bump into Edwards repeatedly, to "let him know I didn't appreciate the way he passed me." Edwards responded by spinning out Busch. The following week, NASCAR announced that both Edwards and Busch were being placed on probation for the off-track argument.
Busch's hopes for his first championship were dashed by two consecutive DNF's at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
, wiping out his 20-point lead and dropping him to 12th in points. However, Busch ralled back with top fives and gained two more spots to close out his first season with JGR 10th in points. Busch had a career-high eight wins and twenty-one top-tens that season.
Busch also ran 30 Nationwide races
2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series
The 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series began on February 16, 2008, at Daytona International Speedway with the Camping World 300, and ended on November 15, 2008, at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 300. This was the first season in which NASCAR's second-tier series was known as the Nationwide...
, and along with Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
James Dennis Alan "Denny" Hamlin is an American race car driver. Though originally born in Tampa, Florida, Hamlin was raised for most of his life in Chesterfield, Virginia. After racing in go-karts for a number of years, he worked his way up to Late Models by 2004 and signed a development contract...
, Joey Logano
Joey Logano
Joseph Thomas "Joey" Logano , nicknamed "sliced bread" by Randy LaJoie, is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs...
and Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
helped win the 2008 Nationwide series Owners Championship for Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
for the number 20 car. He ran in the series for three different teams and in 4 different numbers, running Braun Racing
Braun Racing
Braun Racing was a NASCAR racing team based in Mooresville, North Carolina. The team was sold to Steve Turner in September 2010. The Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series teams remain active under Turner Motorsports. Following the announcement of the purchase, Turner Motorsports announced that they had...
's number 32 with Beringer
Beringer
Beringer Vineyards is a large winery located in St. Helena, California.Beringer Vineyards was founded in 1875, is "the oldest continuously operating winery in the Napa Valley." Located in St. Helena, California, it was the first California winery to offer public tours in 1934, following the repeal...
and Dollar General
Dollar General
Dollar General Corp. is a U.S. chain of variety stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 2011, Dollar General operated over 9,300 stores in 35 U.S. states....
sponsorship, the 92 Toyota with Zippo BLU sponsorship for D'Hondt Motorsports in the Zippo 200
Zippo 200
The Zippo 200 at the Glen is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at the Watkins Glen International circuit in New York.The race has been run every year since 2005 and marked the return of NASCAR's lower-tier series to the Glen...
, and for Joe Gibbs Racing in the number 18 with sponsorship from Interstate Batteries
Interstate Batteries
Interstate Battery System of America, Inc., a.k.a. Interstate Batteries, is a privately owned company that markets automotive batteries manufactured by Johnson Controls through independent distributors to more than 200,000 automotive shops worldwide. The company is based in Dallas, Texas...
, DLP, Z-Line Designs and Southern Farm Bureau Insurance and the number 20 with Doosan Infracore, Farm Bureau and Z-Line as sponsors.
Busch accumulated 4 poles, 20 top tens and 18 top fives in his partial season, and won 10 races which tied the Nationwide series record for most wins in a season with Sam Ard
Sam Ard
Sam Ard is a former NASCAR driver.Ard was the runner-up in 1982 of NASCAR's Late Model Sportsman Series , and followed up his run with back-to-back championships in 1983 and 1984...
, who had accomplished the feat some 24 years earlier. In the Craftsman Truck Series, Busch finished second in the Chevy Silverado 250 at Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
, and followed it up a week later with a win in the San Bernardino County 200 at the newly named Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Two weeks later at Atlanta, he raced to another win in the American Commercial Lines 200. Busch acquired his 2nd Craftsman Truck Series pole in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
. His 3rd win of the 2008 truck series
2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series began on February 15, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Chevy Silverado HD 250. The season concluded on November 14 of that year at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 200. Johnny Benson of Bill Davis Racing was crowned champion. The season...
season was at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday, August 20, 2008.
On February 12 2009
2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...
, Busch won the second Gatorade Duel at Daytona. This was the first qualifying race win for Busch, allowing him to start fourth in the 51st Daytona 500
2009 Daytona 500
The 2009 Daytona 500, the fifty-first running of Daytona 500, was the first points-paying race to open the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The race was won by Matt Kenseth making a car numbered 17 winning the Daytona 500 for the first time in 20 years since Darrell Waltrip's win back in 1989 and the...
. Busch led 88 laps, leading the most for the second year in a row. However, he was taken out on lap 125 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned into Brian Vickers
Brian Vickers
Brian Lee Vickers is a American NASCAR driver. He was the 2003 Busch Series champion, and at age 20, became the youngest champion in any of NASCAR's three top-tier series...
' car, starting a chain reaction crash that sent Vickers into Busch's car, wrecking it, and several other lead lap cars. The following week, Busch made NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
history, becoming the first person in the history of the sport to win races in two of NASCAR's touring series in the same day by winning the San Bernardino County 200 in the afternoon and the Stater Brothers 300
Stater Brothers 300
The Royal Purple 300 is the fifth race on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. It is held in late March at Auto Club Speedway, usually the day before the Cup series race, although in 2008 it was held after the Cup series race due to a rain delay...
in the evening. The next week, he won the 2009 Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
in his hometown. After the race, he and his brother exchanged a long, passionate hug, perhaps signaling the end of their feud. Darrell Waltrip was quoted as saying it was the "sweetest thing he had ever seen". Busch was the first to win three Cup races in 2009, collecting his third win at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
. With his win in the 2009 Crown Royal Presents the Russ Friedman 400
2009 Crown Royal 400
The 2009 Crown Royal presents the Russ Friedman 400 was the tenth race in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, which took place on May 2, 2009 at the Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.-Race summary:...
, Busch joined Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
as the only drivers to win on their birthday.
Busch was involved in a violent wreck at the end of the 2009 Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola
2009 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola
The 2009 Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola was the eighteenth race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule, marking the halfway point of the season, and the third of four restrictor plate races on the season slate. The 160 lap, event was held on Saturday night, July 4 at the Daytona...
at Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
. While leading on the final lap, only yards from the finish line, Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
and Busch made contact, sending Busch spinning hard into the outside wall, his car nearly flipping over, which was then hit by Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kenneth Kahne is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #5 Farmers Insurance Group Chevrolet Impala for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series....
, sending the car up on its nose. Busch took another hard hit in the driver's side from teammate Joey Logano
Joey Logano
Joseph Thomas "Joey" Logano , nicknamed "sliced bread" by Randy LaJoie, is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs...
before spinning to a stop in the infield. Stewart won the race.
Busch would finsh 5th at Richmond, but he missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup by 8 points. Brian Vickers
Brian Vickers
Brian Lee Vickers is a American NASCAR driver. He was the 2003 Busch Series champion, and at age 20, became the youngest champion in any of NASCAR's three top-tier series...
would get the last spot.
In the Nationwide Series on November 21, 2009, Kyle Busch won both the Nationwide Series finale
Ford 300
The Ford 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race is part of the NASCAR Ford Championship Weekend, and is the final race of the season for the Nationwide Series....
and his first NASCAR Championship, becoming the first driver since Sam Ard in 1983 to win the season finale and the championship in the same year. Busch finished the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series
2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series
The 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series began on February 14, 2009 at Daytona International Speedway with the Camping World 300. The season concluded on November 21, 2009 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 300. With 25 top-five finishes, Kyle Busch was the season champion...
season with 9 wins, 25 top 5's, and 30 top 10's.
Busch's 2009
2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
The 15th season of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series began on February 13, 2009 at Daytona International Speedway with the Daytona 250. The season concluded on November 20 of that year at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 200. The season was the first under the Camping World...
season in the newly-renamed Camping World Truck Series started off much like the 2008 season had. Finishing second in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
to Todd Bodine
Todd Bodine
Todd Bodine is a NASCAR driver. Todd is the younger brother of former racers Geoff Bodine and Brett Bodine. Bodine is known for his bald head, which has given him the nickname The Onion...
, as they had finished in 2008, Busch then dominated the San Bernardino County 200 a week later at Auto Club Speedway, winning the pole and leading 95 of 100 laps. Bodine finished second – again, the same as the two had finished in this race the year before. The following race, the American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
, Busch again won the pole, and overcame an ill-handling truck as well as transmission problems to take the lead in the closing laps. Busch was able to hold off Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Michael Harvick is an American stock car auto racing race car driver and car owner currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, driving the No. 29 Budweiser/Jimmy John's/Rheem/Okuma/Realtree Outdoors/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet Impala...
to win the race for the second year in a row. It was his fourth win in five Truck Series starts at Atlanta.
On December 11, 2009, Kyle Busch announced the formation of Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch Motorsports is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and late model team that is owned and operated by Kyle Busch, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Truck Series driver...
that will field two teams in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2010. KBM will have two truck teams running in the series. The #18 Toyota Tundra was to be driven by Busch part time, with the remainder of races to be driven by Brian Ickler
Brian Ickler
Brian Ickler is an American race car driver. He drives the #18 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He is also the owner of Ickler Motorsports, an ARCA Remax Series team.-Early life:Ickler started in off-road racing when he was 14 years old...
. The second truck, the #56 Toyota Tundra, was to be driven by Tayler Malsam
Tayler Malsam
Tayler Malsam is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.-Early career:...
. However, after both Ickler and Malsam accepted jobs to drive in the Nationwide Series, and while suffering financial troubles due to lack of sponsorship, Busch withdrew the #56 from competition and has hired various drivers such as Johnny Benson
Johnny Benson
Jonathan Benson, Jr. is an American NASCAR driver and the son of former Michigan modified driver John Benson, Sr...
and Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kenneth Kahne is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #5 Farmers Insurance Group Chevrolet Impala for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series....
as well as Brian Ickler
Brian Ickler
Brian Ickler is an American race car driver. He drives the #18 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He is also the owner of Ickler Motorsports, an ARCA Remax Series team.-Early life:Ickler started in off-road racing when he was 14 years old...
to fill in on #18 when Busch wasn't driving it himself.
On August 21, 2010, Kyle Busch became the first driver in NASCAR history to win all 3 NASCAR tour events in one weekend. This was achieved at Bristol with a win for the Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide Series, and the Sprint Cup Series. Busch started 19th in his Doublemint Toyota. He worked his way to the front, but Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart led him until a caution came out. Stewart checked up, allowing Tony Raines in the #37 car to hit his rear bumper, losing him the lead and the race. On the restart, Busch passed Johnson for the lead, but soon after Johnson was turned into the wall by Juan Pablo Montoya. Kyle Busch continued on to win the race leading the most laps and setting yet another record.
Now Kyle is one of the most dominant forces in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Series. In the Nationwide series he won 11 races in 2010, breaking the all-time record for most Nationwide Series wins in a season previously held by Sam Ard
Sam Ard
Sam Ard is a former NASCAR driver.Ard was the runner-up in 1982 of NASCAR's Late Model Sportsman Series , and followed up his run with back-to-back championships in 1983 and 1984...
with 10. On October 30, 2010, Busch scored a controversial victory in the Camping World Truck Series Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
, which saw Busch's truck wiggle below the track's double-yellow "out-of-bounds" line as Busch made the winning pass on second-place finisher Aric Almirola
Aric Almirola
Aric A. Almirola is a Cuban-American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives the #88 Unilever/Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida working on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to...
at the finish line.
For 2011, Busch's Speedweeks started off on a low note, as he crashed out of the Budweiser Shootout
2011 Budweiser Shootout
The 2011 Budweiser Shootout was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on February 12, 2011 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 75 laps, it was the first exhibition race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season. The race was won by Kurt...
along with teammate Joey Logano. Busch also raced in all 3 NASCAR events at Daytona, finishing 5th in the Truck Race, 7th in the Nationwide race, and 8th in the Daytona 500. The next week at Phoenix, Busch dominated the Truck race and led every single lap in the Bashas' Supermarkets 200.
Kyle Would also Sweep the weekend at Bristol in the Nationwide and Cup Series on the March 19th and March 20 Race Weekend at Thunder Valley.
On April 30, 2011, Kyle won at Richmond International Raceway, capturing his 2nd win in the 2011 season.
Following an on-track incident with Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Michael Harvick is an American stock car auto racing race car driver and car owner currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, driving the No. 29 Budweiser/Jimmy John's/Rheem/Okuma/Realtree Outdoors/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet Impala...
during and after the Southern 500
Southern 500
The Showtime Southern 500 is the annual spring NASCAR Sprint Cup race held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, USA, and is the second such event at Darlington to bear the name. It began in 1957 as a race in the Convertible Division, known as the Rebel 300. In 1966, the race was...
at Darlington Speedway, Kyle was fined $25,000 and put on probation for 4 races (plus the All-Star Race).
Following the O'Reilly
O'Reilly
O'Reilly is the Anglicised form of the Gaelic Ó Raghallaigh. It is also the patronymic form of the Irish name Reilly . It is commonly found throughout Ireland, with the greatest concentration of the surname found in County Cavan followed by Longford, Meath, Westmeath, Fermanagh and Monaghan, and...
Auto Parts 250, pit reporter Ray Dunlap tweeted
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, “Hot news from the track. Grandpa Childress put a whipping on Kyle Busch in the truck garage". Dunlap mistakenly referred to him as "kubu", which is Twitter shorthand for Kurt Busch, who was not involved.
It is believed that Kyle Busch's post-race bump of Joey Coulter, who drove the #22 Richard Childress Racing-owned Chevrolet
Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado , is the latest line of full-size pickup trucks from General Motors.-History:...
Silverado
Silverado
Silverado is a 1985 American Western film produced and directed by Lawrence Kasdan. The screenplay was written by Kasdan and his brother Mark. The film depicts a chance encounter between a group of cowboys who travel to the town of Silverado, where they thwart the plans of a rancher and a corrupt...
, was in response to Coulter passing Busch on the final lap. About 30 minutes after the race, witnesses say that Childress came up to Busch, put him in a head lock and started punching him. Busch, who was still on probation at the time of the incident, did not violate his probation. Childress, however, was fined $150,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until December 31, 2011. Busch said in an interview that he did not hit Coulter's truck intentionally and that it was a congratulatory bump. He also said that he would pay Childress for the damage on Coulter's truck.
On August 21, 2011, Busch won the Pure Michigan 400 for his 4th victory of the 2011 season and became the first man to clinch a spot in the Chase. Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
was the class of the field late, but after a late race debris caution, Busch beat Gordon and Matt Kenseth
Matt Kenseth
Matthew Roy "Matt" Kenseth is an American stock car driver. Kenseth currently drives the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
out of the pits and held off Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports....
for the win.
On August 26, 2011 Busch won the Nationwide Series at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
surpassing Mark Martin
Mark Martin
Mark Martin may refer to:* Mark Martin , American racecar driver* Mark Martin , American cartoonist* Mark Martin , American judge* Mark Martin , British murderer...
for the most Nationwide series wins ever, with 50, and also simultaneously became the first driver to win three consecutive races at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
in the Nationwide Series. He also won this race in one of the closest finishes in series history, as he won the race by 0.019 seconds over teammate Joey Logano
Joey Logano
Joseph Thomas "Joey" Logano , nicknamed "sliced bread" by Randy LaJoie, is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs...
.
On November 4, 2011, Busch was involved in an incident during the 2011 WinStar World Casino 350K at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
. After a racing incident with series regular and championship contender Ron Hornaday
Ron Hornaday
Ronald Hornaday, Jr. is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver. He is the father of former NASCAR driver Ronnie Hornaday, and son of the late Ron Hornaday, Sr., a two-time Winston West Champion. Adding on to the family legacy, Ron is a four-time champion in the Truck Series, his most recent...
, Busch deliberately turned him into the outside wall under caution, ending Hornaday's title hopes. NASCAR black-flagged Busch for the rest of the race. The next morning, NASCAR announced that Busch would remain parked for the remainder of the weekend, including the 2011 O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge and the 2011 AAA Texas 500. NASCAR took this action under rules that allow it to park a driver in order to ensure the "orderly conduct of the event," an action which is not appealable. Denny Hamlin and Michael McDowell stepped up to replace Busch in both the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup series races. It was the first time since what is now the Camping World Truck Series was launched in 1995 that NASCAR has parked a driver across all three national series, and only the third cross-series sanction in NASCAR's 64-year history. NASCAR's action mathematically eliminated Busch from contention for the Sprint Cup, though any realistic chance of him winning it ended earlier in the Chase.
Later that day, Busch issued an apology to his fans, sponsors and teammates, saying that the Texas incident was "certainly a step backward."
On November 7, NASCAR fined Busch $50,000 for "actions detrimental to stock car racing." While it lifted the parking directive, it placed Busch on probation for the rest of the year, saying that he will be suspended indefinitely if he commits another offense detrimental to stock car racing or disrupts the orderly conduct of a NASCAR event.
On November 10, ESPN's David Newton reported that M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...
, the primary sponsor for Busch's Sprint Cup team, wanted its name off the car for the last two races of the 2011 season. M&M's maker, Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is a worldwide manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products with US$30 billion in annual sales in 2010, and is ranked as the 5th largest privately held company in the United States by Forbes. Headquartered in McLean, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia,...
, had harshly criticized Busch's behavior in Texas. Newton said that this has led Joe Gibbs Racing to open talks with Aric Almirola
Aric Almirola
Aric A. Almirola is a Cuban-American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives the #88 Unilever/Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida working on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to...
about taking over for Busch for the last two Sprint Cup races. Earlier, Z-Line Designs asked that Hamlin take over as the driver for Busch's Nationwide Series team. Later that night, however, it was decided that Busch would remain as the driver for the Sprint Cup team, but secondary sponsor Interstate Batteries
Interstate Batteries
Interstate Battery System of America, Inc., a.k.a. Interstate Batteries, is a privately owned company that markets automotive batteries manufactured by Johnson Controls through independent distributors to more than 200,000 automotive shops worldwide. The company is based in Dallas, Texas...
will be the sole sponsor for the final two races of 2011. M&M's would return as sponsor for the 2012 season.
2011 Results
Key* | Was parked for this event due to actions in 2011 WinStar World Casino 350k at Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas.... |
Sprint Cup Series
|
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Date | Race | Track | Start | Finish | Points | |
02/12/2011 | Budweiser Shootout | Daytona International Speedway | |
|
|
||
02/17/2011 | Gatorade Duel – Race 2 | Daytona International Speedway | |
|
|
||
|
|||||||
# | Date | Race | Track | Start | Finish | Points | |
1 | 02/20/2011 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway | |
|
|
|
2 | 02/27/2011 | Subway Fresh Fit 500 | Phoenix International Raceway | |
|
|
|
3 | 03/06/2011 | Kobalt Tools 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | |
|
|
|
4 | 03/20/2011 | Jeff Byrd 500 Presented by Food City | Bristol Motor Speedway | |
|
|
|
5 | 03/27/2011 | Auto Club 400 | Auto Club Speedway | |
|
|
|
6 | 04/03/2011 | Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 | Martinsville Speedway | |
|
|
|
7 | 04/09/2011 | Samsung Mobile 500 | Texas Motor Raceway | |
|
|
|
8 | 04/17/2011 | Aaron's 499 | Talladega Superspeedway | |
|
|
|
9 | 04/30/2011 | Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 | Richmond International Raceway | |
|
|
|
10 | 05/07/2011 | Showtime Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | |
|
|
|
11 | 05/15/2011 | Fedex 400 Benefitting Autism Speaks | Dover International Speedway | |
|
|
|
05/21/2011 | Sprint All-Star Race | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |
|
|
||
12 | 05/29/2011 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |
|
|
|
13 | 06/05/2011 | STP 400 | Kansas Speedway | |
|
|
|
14 | 06/12/2011 | Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 | Pocono Speedway | |
|
|
|
15 | 06/19/2011 | Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 | Michigan International Speedway | |
|
|
|
16 | 06/26/2011 | Toyota / Save Mart 350 | Infineon Raceway | |
|
|
|
17 | 07/02/2011 | Coke Zero 400 | Daytona International Speedway | |
|
|
|
18 | 07/09/2011 | Quaker State 400 | Kentucky Speedway | |
|
|
|
19 | 07/17/2011 | Lenox Industrial Tools 301 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | |
|
|
|
20 | 07/31/2011 | Brickyard 400 | Indianapolis Motor Raceway | |
|
|
|
21 | 08/07/2011 | Pennsylvania 500 | Pocono Raceway | |
|
|
|
22 | 08/14/2011 | Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen | Watkins Glen International | |
|
|
|
23 | 08/21/2011 | Pure Michigan 400 | Michigan International Speedway | |
|
|
|
24 | 08/27/2011 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | |
|
|
|
25 | 09/04/2011 | AdvoCare 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | |
|
|
|
26 | 09/10/2011 | Wonderful Pistachios 400 | Richmond International Raceway | |
|
|
|
|
|||||||
# | Date | Race | Track | Start | Finish | Points | |
27 | 09/18/2011 | Geico 400 | Chicagoland Speedway | |
|
|
|
28 | 09/25/2011 | Sylvania 300 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | |
|
|
|
29 | 10/02/2011 | AAA 400 | Dover International Speedway | |
|
|
|
30 | 10/09/2011 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway | |
|
|
|
31 | 10/15/2011 | Bank of America 500 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |
|
|
|
32 | 10/23/2011 | AMP Energy 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | |
|
|
|
33 | 10/30/2011 | Tums Bring It On 500 | Martinsville Speedway | |
|
|
|
34 | 11/06/2011 | AAA Texas 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | |
|
|
|
35 | 11/13/2011 | Kobalt Tools 500 | Phoenix International Speedway | |
|
|
|
36 | 11/20/2011 | Ford 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | |
|
|
Nationwide Series
|
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Date | Race | Track | Start | Finish | ||
1 | 02/19/2011 | Drive4COPD 300 | Daytona International Speedway | |
|
||
2 | 02/26/2011 | Bashas' Supermarkets 200 | Phoenix International Raceway | |
|
||
3 | 03/05/2011 | Sam's Town 300 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | |
|
||
4 | 03/19/2011 | Scotts EZ Seed 300 | Bristol Motor Speedway | |
|
||
5 | 03/26/2011 | Royal Purple 300 | Auto Club Speedway | |
|
||
6 | 04/08/2011 | O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 | Texas Motor Speedway | |
|
||
7 | 04/16/2011 | Aaron's 312 | Talladega Superspeedway | |
|
||
8 | 04/23/2011 | Nashville 300 | Nashville Superspeedway | |
|
||
9 | 04/29/2011 | Bubba Burger 250 | Richmond International Raceway | |
|
||
10 | 05/06/2011 | Royal Purple 200 | Darlington Raceway | |
|
||
11 | 05/14/2011 | 5-Hour Energy 200 | Dover International Speedway | |
|
||
12 | 05/22/2011 | Iowa John Deere Dealers 250 | Iowa Speedway | |
|
||
13 | 05/28/2011 | Top Gear 300 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |
|
||
14 | 06/04/2011 | STP 300 | Chicagoland Speedway | |
|
||
15 | 06/18/2011 | Michigan 250 | Michigan International Speedway | |
|
||
16 | 06/25/2011 | Bucyrus 200 | Road America | |
|
||
17 | 07/01/2011 | Subway Jalapeño 250 | Daytona International Speedway | |
|
||
18 | 07/08/2011 | Feed the Children 300 | Kentucky Speedway | |
|
||
19 | 07/16/2011 | New England 200 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | |
|
||
20 | 07/23/2011 | Federated Auto Parts 300 | Nashville Superspeedway | |
|
||
21 | 07/30/2011 | Kroger 200 | Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis | |
|
||
22 | 08/06/2011 | U.S. Cellular 250 | Iowa Speedway | |
|
||
23 | 08/13/2011 | Zippo 200 | Watkins Glen International | |
|
||
24 | 08/20/2011 | NAPA Auto Parts 200 | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | |
|
||
25 | 08/26/2011 | Food City 250 | Bristol Motor Speedway | |
|
||
26 | 09/03/2011 | Great Clips 300 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | |
|
||
27 | 09/09/2011 | Virginia 529 College Savings 250 | Richmond International Raceway | |
|
||
28 | 09/17/2011 | Dollar General 300 | Chicagoland Speedway | |
|
||
29 | 10/01/2011 | OneMain Financial 200 | Dover International Speedway | |
|
||
30 | 10/08/2011 | Kansas Lottery 300 | Kansas Speedway | |
|
||
31 | 10/14/2011 | Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |
|
||
32 | 11/05/2011 | O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge | Texas Motor Speedway | |
|
||
33 | 11/12/2011 | Wypall 200 | Phoenix International Raceway | |
|
||
34 | 11/19/2011 | Ford 300 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | |
|
Camping World Truck Series
|
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Date | Race | Track | Start | Finish | ||
1 | 02/18/2011 | NextEra Energy Resources 250 | Daytona International Speedway | |
|
||
2 | 02/25/2011 | Lucas Oil 150 | Phoenix International Raceway | |
|
||
3 | 03/12/2011 | Too Tough To Tame 200 | Darlington Raceway | |
|
||
4 | 04/02/2011 | Kroger 250 | Martinsville Speedway | |
|
||
5 | 04/22/2011 | Bully Hill Vineyards 200 | Nashville Superspeedway | |
|
||
6 | 05/13/2011 | Lucas Oil 200 | Dover International Speedway | |
|
||
7 | 05/20/2011 | North Carolina Education Lottery 200 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |
|
||
8 | 06/04/2011 | O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 | Kansas Speedway | |
|
||
9 | 06/10/2011 | WinStar World Casino 400 | Texas Motor Speedway | |
|
||
10 | 07/07/2011 | Kentucky 225 | Kentucky Speedway | |
|
||
11 | 07/16/2011 | Iowa 200 | Iowa Speedway | |
|
||
12 | 07/22/2011 | Nashville 200 | Nashville Superspeedway | |
|
||
13 | 07/29/2011 | Indianapolis 200 | Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis | |
|
||
14 | 08/06/2011 | Pocono Mountains 125 | Pocono Raceway | |
|
||
15 | 08/20/2011 | VFW 200 | Michigan International Speedway | |
|
||
16 | 08/24/2011 | O'Reilly Auto Parts 200 | Bristol Motor Speedway | |
|
||
17 | 09/02/2011 | Atlanta 200 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | |
|
||
18 | 09/16/2011 | Chicago 225 | Chicagoland Speedway | |
|
||
19 | 09/24/2011 | F.W. Webb 175 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | |
|
||
20 | 10/01/2011 | Kentucky 225 | Kentucky Speedway | |
|
||
21 | 10/15/2011 | Smith's 350 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | |
|
||
22 | 10/22/2011 | Coca-Cola 250 | Talladega Superspeedway | |
|
||
23 | 10/29/2011 | Kroger 200 | Martinsville Speedway | |
|
||
24 | 11/04/2011 | WinStar World Casino 350K | Texas Motor Speedway | |
|
||
25 | 11/18/2011 | Ford 200 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | |
|
Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
Year | Races | Wins | Poles | Top 5 | Top 10 | DNF | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start | Winnings | Season Rank | Team(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 35.2 | 27.2 | $394,489 | 52nd | Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas... |
2005 | 36 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 21.0 | 18.6 | $4,730,471 | 20th | Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas... |
2006 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 15.5 | 14.9 | $6,077,337 | 10th | Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas... |
2007 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 20 | 2 | 14.1 | 15.0 | $6,475,098 | 5th | Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas... |
2008 | 36 | 8 | 2 | 17 | 21 | 2 | 12.5 | 11.9 | $8,276,725 | 10th | Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son... |
2009 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 15.4 | 12.2 | $6,945,752 | 13th | Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son... |
2010 | 36 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 3 | 14.0 | 15.8 | $7,447,367 | 8th | Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son... |
2011 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 18 | 3 | 12 | 14.6 | $5,633,641 | 7th | Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son... |
Totals | 255 | 23 | 8 | 80 | 121 | 25 | 15.4 | 15 | $45,980,880 |
Formula One
Busch was one of three American drivers under consideration to drive for the US-based Formula One team US F1, along with Alexander RossiAlexander Rossi (racing driver)
Alexander Rossi is an American racing driver who competes in single seater formulae. He is currently competing in in the 2011 World Series by Renault with Fortec Motorsport.-Skip Barber:...
and Jonathan Summerton
Jonathan Summerton
Jonathan Summerton is an American race car driver.-Early Racing:He began racing karts at the age of 14 and by the end of the year had begun racing Skip Barber Series cars...
before the team folded due to economic issues. Busch was scheduled to test drive a Toyota F1 car at the end of 2008 season, but could not make it in the end because of a commitment to the Nationwide Series banquet.
Kyle Busch Foundation
According to the KBFoundation Mission Statement, The Kyle Busch Foundation is dedicated to providing essential tools for less fortunate children throughout the country. KBF will concentrate its efforts on assisting organizations in fostering a safe environment for children to live, learn and challenge themselves as well as seeing that day to day needs are met. His foundation sponsors his #51 late model which is driven by Alex Haase. Busch also has personal sponsorship deals in place with NOS Energy DrinkNOS (drink)
NOS Energy Drink is an energy drink sometimes distributed in a bottle designed to look like a NOS cartridge. It is produced by the High Performance Beverage Company, and licensed by Holley Performance, which owns the trademark...
and Electric Visual, with both appearing on his late model at one time or another.
During the 2008 season, Busch announced the "Kyle's Miles" program, inviting consumers to go to www.dogsrule.com. Kyle's Miles is a team-up with Pedigree
Pedigree Petfoods
Pedigree Petfoods is a subsidiary of the american group Mars, Incorporated specializing in pet food, with factories in Great Britain at Melton Mowbray, Peterborough and Birstall, Leeds; and offices at Waltham-on-the-Wolds.-Manchester:...
to help dogs in shelters and breed rescue organizations.
Legal Troubles
On May 24, 2011, Busch was cited for reckless drivingReckless driving
Reckless driving is a major moving traffic violation. As a legal term, it is used within the United States. This offence has been abolished in the United Kingdom and replaced...
and speeding in Troutman
Troutman
Troutman may refer to:* Troutman, North CarolinaTroutman is the surname of:* Arenda Troutman , American politician* Beth Troutman , American television personality* John Troutman , American webcomic artist...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, driving 128 mph (57.2 m/s) in a 45 mph (20.1 m/s) speed limit zone. He claims he got carried away test driving a Lexus LFA
Lexus LFA
The Lexus LFA is a 2-seat exotic sports coupe produced by Lexus as a concept car, "halo" vehicle, racing prototype, and production model. It is the second model in the F marque line of performance vehicles from Lexus, following the IS F...
and issued a public apology. On August 23, 2011, he received a $1,000 fine and had his license suspended for 45 days after he pleaded guilty to speeding. Busch also will have to serve 30 hours of community service and 1 year of unsupervised probation.