Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He currently competes full-time in the

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. ...

, driving the No. 8

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro sha ...

for

Richard Childress Racing Richard Childress Racing (RCR) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by Richar ...

and part-time in the

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...

, driving the No. 51

Chevrolet Silverado The Chevrolet Silverado is a range of trucks manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. Introduced for the 1999 model year, the Silverado is the successor to the long running Chevrolet C/K model line. Taking its name from th ...

for

Kyle Busch Motorsports Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. They formerly competed in the CARS Tour, ARCA/CRA Super Series, Southern Super Series, and the ARCA M ...

. KBM runs multiple trucks in the Truck Series. Busch is the

2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series The 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series began on February 14 at Daytona International Speedway with the Camping World 300. The season concluded on November 21 at Homestead–Miami Speedway with the Ford 300. With 25 top-five finishes, Kyle Busch ...

champion and the

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

and

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Cup Series champion. Busch is also a WWE 24/7 Champion. Busch is the younger brother of

2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 56th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 33rd modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Saturday, February 7, and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch, who ...

champion

Kurt Busch Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the ...

. He is nicknamed "Rowdy" and "Wild Thing" for his driving style, "The Candy Man" due to his longtime sponsorship with

Mars, Incorporated Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services, with US$40 billion in annual sales in 2021. Mars was ranked as the fourth-largest priv ...

, and the self-titled "KFB".

Early life and career

Busch was born in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

. His first driving lessons came at the age of six when he drove around the

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

of his family's Las Vegas neighborhood in a makeshift

go-kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance racing ...

. Although he could not reach the throttle, Busch still was able to pick up the basics from his father Tom, who controlled the gas pedal as Busch drove the vehicle. Busch worked in the family garage with his father and older brother

Kurt Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and is ...

as he grew, becoming crew chief for his brother's dwarf car team at age ten. Busch began his driving career in 1998, shortly after his 13th birthday; from 1999 through 2001, Busch won over 65 races in

legends car racing Legends car racing is a style of auto racing designed primarily to promote exciting racing and to keep costs down. The race car bodyshells are 5/8-scale replicas of American automobiles from the 1930s and 1940s, powered by Yamaha XJ1250, FJ1200 ...

, winning two track championships at the

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is ...

Bullring short-track, before moving to

late model A late model car is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. (An early model car or classic car is a car old enough to be of historical interest; there is no usual intermediate term.) The precise definition ...

s; Busch scored ten victories in late model competition at the Bullring during the 2001 season. At the age of 16, Busch began competing in the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...

Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of ...

, driving the No. 99 Ford for

Roush Racing Roush is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Politics * Glenn Roush (1934–2020), American politician in Montana *J. Edward Roush (1920–2004), United States Representative for Indiana, namesake of: ** J. Edward Roush Lake, a res ...

as a replacement for

Nathan Haseleu Nathan Haseleu (born November 24, 1977; pronounced HAWS-lie) is a racecar driver from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. His career peaked in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with four Top 10 finishes for Roush Racing. Haseleu has also competed in the A ...

, who was released midway in the 2001 season. He made his debut at

Indianapolis Raceway Park Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and Lucas Oil Raceway) is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, United States, about northwest of downtown Indianapolis. It ...

, posting a 9th-place finish in his first race in the series. In his second race at

Chicago Motor Speedway The Chicago Motor Speedway at Sportsman's Park was a motorsports race track, located in Cicero, Illinois, just outside Chicago. It was built in 1999 by a group including Chip Ganassi, owner of Chip Ganassi Racing. In 2002 the oval shaped trac ...

, he was leading until his truck ran out of fuel with 12 laps to go. Busch was the fastest in practice for the 2001 Auto Club 200 at

California Speedway Auto Club Speedway, originally opened as California Speedway, is a , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, near Fontana. It has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. It was also previ ...

in Fontana, CA, when he was informed he was not allowed to participate in events at the track, due to the fact that the CART FedEx Championship Series, running at the track the same weekend had its race sponsored by Marlboro cigarettes. Busch was decreed ineligible to compete due an interpretation of the

Master Settlement Agreement The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) was entered on November 23, 1998, originally between the four largest United States tobacco companies (Philip Morris Inc., R. J. Reynolds, Brown & Williamson and Lorillard – the "original participa ...

of 1998, prohibiting people under 18 years of age in participating in events sponsored by tobacco companies; Tim Woods III replaced Busch in the No. 99 Ford for the event and finished 25th. Busch competed in a total of six races in the Truck Series in 2001, finishing ninth twice, at IRP and at

. Six weeks after the Fontana incident, NASCAR imposed a minimum age of 18 years starting in 2002 to prevent incidents of the sort from happening again; this was partially because

Winston Winston may refer to: Places Antarctica * Winston Glacier Australia * Winston, Queensland, a suburb of the City of Mount Isa United Kingdom * Winston, County Durham, England, a village * Winston, Suffolk, England, a village and civil pa ...

was the series sponsor of its premier

Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

at the time. When the age requirements were put in place, Busch switched from NASCAR to the

American Speed Association The American Speed Association (ASA) is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana, and later in Daytona Beach, Florida. The ASA sanctioned asphalt and dirt tracks in t ...

(ASA) National Tour, 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 The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three nationa ...

Lowe's Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including t ...

, finishing twelfth in the No. 22 Chevrolet for WP Motorsports.

NASCAR

Busch holds several records in NASCAR competition, including the most race wins in a season across the top three NASCAR series the modern era, with 24 wins, which he accomplished in 2010. He holds the record for most all-time wins in all three of NASCAR's national touring series with 223 (as of April 17, 2022). Furthermore, he holds the record for the most Xfinity Series wins in a season with 13 in 2010, and the most overall with 102. Busch also holds the record for most overall wins in the Truck Series with 61. As of 2022, he is the only driver in history to have 60 wins in each of NASCAR's top 3 series. At Dover on May 6, 2019, His 10th place finish tied the record of consecutive top-ten finishes to start a season by tying

Morgan Shepherd Clay Morgan Shepherd (born October 12, 1941) is an American retired professional stock car racing driver and current team owner. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 89 Chevrolet Camaro for Shepherd Racing Ve ...

with 11. As of 2022, he is tied with

Richard Petty Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notab ...

for the most consecutive seasons with a win, at 18. At age 19 years and 317 days, Busch became NASCAR's youngest ever pole winner in a Cup Series race at

in 2005. He is the youngest driver to qualify for the

Chase for the Sprint Cup The NASCAR playoffs is a championship playoff system used in NASCAR's three national series. The system was founded as 'The Chase for the Championship' on January 21, 2004, and was used exclusively in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2004 to 2015. S ...

, in 2006. Furthermore, Busch became the first driver to win a race and a championship in a Toyota in the Cup Series, winning at

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series s ...

during the 2008 season and the 2015 Cup championship. Additionally, he is the only driver to win four straight spring races at

Richmond International Raceway Richmond Raceway (RR) is a , ''D''-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Known as ...

(2009–2012), and was also the inaugural winner of the first Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway, in 2011. Busch, who began his NASCAR career in 2003, is one of only six drivers who have won a championship in both the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series, and in 2005 became the 14th of only 36 drivers to win a race in each of NASCAR's three national series. In 2009, Busch became the first driver to win two of NASCAR's top touring series races in the same day (at

Auto Club Speedway Auto Club Speedway, originally opened as California Speedway, is a , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, near Fontana. It has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. It was also previ ...

), followed in 2010 as the first driver to win races in all three of NASCAR's top three touring series in the same weekend (at

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

), which he did again at the same track in 2017. When Busch won the

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway as he turned 24, he was the second of just three people to ever win on their birthday. Twelve years later, on his 36th birthday, he won the Buschy McBusch Race 400 at

Kansas Speedway Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in the Village West area near Kansas City, Kansas, United States. It was built in 2001 and it currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also held races at the venue until 2011 ...

. By winning for the second time on his birthday, he joined

Cale Yarborough William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough (born March 27, 1939) is an American former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, and farmer. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winning in 1 ...

as the only two drivers to win on their birthday twice. In 2010, Kyle Busch Motorsports became the first Truck Series organization to win the owners' championship in its debut season after recording eight wins, 16 top fives, and 21 top-ten finishes in 2010. Busch also recently holds the record for most laps led in the Daytona 500 (32 laps led by Busch) without winning it, breaking it as

Tony Stewart Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971), nicknamed Smoke, is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, current NASCAR team co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and current co-owner of the Superstar Racing Experience. He i ...

led 31. In December 2021, it was announced that M&M/Mars was leaving Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing as primary sponsor at the end of the 2022 season. On September 13, 2022, Busch announced he signed a multi-year contract with

starting in 2023.

Late model racing

Kyle Busch Fast Qualifier at 2012 Slinger Nationals

Kyle Busch KBM Dirt Late Model Williams Grove 2009

Busch has maintained an active schedule of regional

late model stock car A late model car is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. (An early model car or classic car is a car old enough to be of historical interest; there is no usual intermediate term.) The precise definition ...

racing, running his own

cars in various events. His biggest win came in December 2009 when he won the 42nd running of the

Snowball Derby The Snowball Derby presented by Bayou Fox Hooters is a 300-lap super late model stock car race held annually at the Five Flags Speedway, a half-mile paved oval track in Pensacola, Florida, United States. The race has been contested every year s ...

Five Flags Speedway Five Flags Speedway is a half-mile (0.8 km) paved oval racetrack in Pensacola, Florida, United States. It opened in 1953 and is located on Pine Forest Road. It is christened after the nickname of Pensacola—"City of Five Flags." It runs ...

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principa ...

. Busch won the Snowball Derby again in December 2017. On July 10, 2011, Busch won the 32nd annual

Slinger Nationals The Slinger Speedway (also known as Slinger Super Speedway) is a quarter mile paved oval automobile race track with 33-degree banked corners located in Slinger, Wisconsin. The track is billed as the "World's Fastest Quarter Mile Oval." The curre ...

Slinger Speedway The Slinger Speedway (also known as Slinger Super Speedway) is a quarter mile paved oval automobile race track with 33-degree banked corners located in Slinger, Wisconsin. The track is billed as the "World's Fastest Quarter Mile Oval." The curre ...

in Wisconsin. Two weeks later, Busch won the 38th annual TD Bank 250 presented by New England Dodge Dealers at

Oxford Plains Speedway Oxford Plains Speedway is a 3/8 mile racetrack located in Oxford, Maine. Established in 1950, the track was originally a half mile before being shortened to a 3/8 mile track. With 14,000 seats, the speedway has the largest seating capacity of ...

; it was his third attempt to win the event. Busch became only the second active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver to win the event, New England's largest short track race, joining

Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick is the 2014 Cup Series champi ...

as the only other active Sprint Cup driver to win the race with his victory in 2008. Busch stated "I've had this one on my list of big races that I wanted to win and now that I've done it, it feels great - it was everything I thought it would be." Busch also won the preliminary

Pro All Star Series The Pro All Stars Series is a stock car racing governing body active in the United States of America and Canada. The series started in 2001 and now sanctions various series including North, South, and National Super Late Model tours and a New Engl ...

Oxford 150 the previous night, sweeping the weekend's events. Busch won the eighth annual

Prelude to the Dream The Prelude to the Dream was a dirt late model race held at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio from 2005 to 2012. It was a pay-per-view event on HBO, and frequently attracted drivers from various disciplines such as NASCAR, IndyCar Series, NHRA, ...

Eldora Speedway Eldora Speedway (nicknamed "The Big E", "Auto Racing's Showcase Since 1954," and "The World's Greatest Dirt Track") is a high-banked clay dirt oval. Located north of Rossburg, Ohio in the village of New Weston, Ohio, it features permanent and ...

in June 2012, beating

to win the

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

all-star event. In July 2013, Busch won the second running of the

Howie Lettow Memorial 150 Howie is a Scottish locational surname derived from a medieval estate in Ayrshire, southwest Scotland. While its ancient name is known as "The lands of How", its exact location is lost to time. The word "How", predating written history, appears t ...

at the

Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectator ...

, beating defending race winner

Travis Sauter Travis Sauter (born August 1, 1982) is an American professional stock car racing driver. A regular competitor in several midwestern racing series, he is second on the all-time win list with four Oktoberfest wins at the LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speed ...

and NASCAR Truck Series regular

Johnny Sauter Jonathan Joseph "Johnny" Sauter (born May 1, 1978) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 47 Toyota Tundra for G2G Racing, the No. 13 Tundra for ...

to win the darkness-shortened 43-car event, having led every practice session and setting fast time in qualifying.

Other racing

Busch was one of several American drivers under consideration to drive for the US-based

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...

team

US F1 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Busch declined the offer, stating that the timing was wrong; the team folded due to economic issues without ever competing in a race. Busch was scheduled to test drive a

Toyota F1 Panasonic Toyota Racing was a Formula One team owned by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota Motor Corporation and based in Cologne, Germany. Toyota announced their plans to participate in Formula One in 1999, and after extensive testi ...

car at the end of the 2008 racing season, but was forced to cancel the test due to his commitment to attend the 2008 Nationwide Series banquet. In 2020, Busch ran the

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...

for AIM

Vasser Vasser is surname, an altered form of French Levasseur or Vasseur.https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=vasser Notable people with the surname include: * Jimmy Vasser (born 1965), American racing driver * Daniel "Dan" Vasser, a fictional ...

Sullivan Sullivan may refer to: People Characters * Chloe Sullivan, from the television series ''Smallville'' * Colin Sullivan, a character in the film ''The Departed'', played by Matt Damon * Harry Sullivan (''Doctor Who''), from the British science f ...

, driving a

Lexus RC F GT3 The Lexus RC (Japanese: レクサス・RC, ''Rekusasu RC'') is a compact executive two-door coupé manufactured by Lexus, Toyota's luxury division. The RC which according to Lexus stands for "Radical Coupe" is a two-door coupé version of the Le ...

alongside

Jack Hawksworth Jack W. Hawksworth (born 28 February 1991) is a British professional racing driver from Bradford, West Yorkshire. , he competes in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for AIM Vasser Sullivan. He has also raced in the Star Mazda Champions ...

Parker Chase Parker B. Chase (born February 22, 2001) is an American professional racing driver who competes full-time in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Michelin Pilot Challenge and driving the No. 98 Hyundai Veloster N TCR for Bryan Herta A ...

, and

Michael De Quesada Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

. Busch drove for four-and-a-half hours as his team finished 26th overall and ninth in the GTD class.

Nitro Rallycross Nitro Rallycross (Nitro RX, abbreviated to NRX) is an American rallycross racing series. Created by rallycross driver Travis Pastrana and the '' Nitro Circus'' production in 2018, its inaugural season began in 2021. The championship is sanction ...

, a rallycross series founded by former NASCAR driver

Travis Pastrana Travis Alan Pastrana (born October 8, 1983) is an American professional motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several disciplines, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, a ...

, invited Busch to run the November 2021 race weekend at

Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park is a 450-acre (180 ha) motorsport racing complex, located in Chandler, Arizona, United States, about southeast of downtown Phoenix. History The facility opened as Firebird International Raceway in 1983. In ...

. Busch finished 4th in the Supercar Final, with Pastrana winning the race.

Charity efforts

In 2006, Busch founded the Kyle Busch Foundation following a visit to the St. John's Home in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

. According to the Foundation, "The Kyle Busch Foundation is dedicated to providing essential tools for less fortunate children throughout the country.". Busch also has personal sponsorship deals in place with Monster Energy and

Electric Visual Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

, with both appearing on his late model at one time or another. During the 2008 season, Busch announced the "Kyle's Miles" program in association with

Pedigree Pedigree may refer to: Breeding * Pedigree chart, a document to record ancestry, used by genealogists in study of human family lines, and in selective breeding of other animals ** Pedigree, a human genealogy (ancestry chart) ** Pedigree (animal ...

to help dogs in shelters and breed rescue organizations. After Busch's first Cup Series win at California on September 4, 2005, he and car owner

Rick Hendrick Joseph Riddick "Rick" Hendrick III (born July 12, 1949), nicknamed "Mr. H", is an American businessman. He is best known as the owner of the NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports. He is also a co-owner of JR Motorsports and founder of the Hendrick Aut ...

donated their winning shares from that race to the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desig ...

to help benefit those in need after Hurricane Katrina. Because of this, Busch had an appearance on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

'', which during the interview he announced the donations, which gained huge public attention and praise.

Personal life

Kyle Busch married Samantha Sarcinella on December 31, 2010, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, which was featured in an hour special on

Style Network Esquire Network was an American pay television network that was a 50/50 joint venture between NBCUniversal and the Hearst Corporation. The network carried programs aimed at a metrosexual audience centering on travel, cooking, sports and fashion ...

. Sarcinella is a native of

St. John, Indiana St. John is a town in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The town of St. John has homes in St. John Township, Hanover Township, and Center Township. St. John was founded in 1837. The population was 14,850 at the 2010 census. In 2009, St. ...

, and a graduate of

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and ...

with a

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

degree. Their son, Brexton Locke Busch, was born on May 18, 2015. The couple welcomed a daughter, Lennix Key Busch, on 10 May 2022. He is often nicknamed "Shrub", as the younger brother of

, a small bush being called a shrub. Busch also uses the nickname "Rowdy", after ''

Days of Thunder ''Days of Thunder'' is a 1990 American sports action drama 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 Qua ...

'' character Rowdy Burns.

Legal issues

On May 24, 2011, Busch was cited for

reckless driving In United States law, reckless driving is a major moving traffic violation that generally consists in driving a vehicle with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. It is usually a more serious offense than careless ...

and speeding near Troutman, North Carolina, driving in a speed limit zone. He issued a public apology in which he stated he got "carried away" test driving a

Lexus LFA The is a two-seat sports car manufactured by Lexus, the luxury car division of Toyota. It is the second model in the F marque line of performance vehicles from Lexus, following the IS F, and also the first standalone Lexus F model. Three conc ...

. On August 23, 2011, he received a $1,000 fine and had his license suspended for 45 days after he pleaded guilty to speeding. He was also ordered to serve 30 hours of community service and placed on one year of unsupervised probation. On April 29, 2014, Busch was cited for traveling in a speed limit zone on NC 73 in

Denver, North Carolina Denver, formerly known as Dry Pond, is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 2,309. Known as “Dry Pond” until 1873, it was rena ...

. Busch claimed he thought the speed limit was . The officer claimed Busch had a "disrespectful attitude."

In popular media

Busch is one of the cover drivers of ''

NASCAR Kart Racing ''NASCAR Kart Racing'' is a kart racing video game that was released for the Wii console on February 10, 2009. The game features fourteen real NASCAR drivers and ten fictional drivers. The cover drivers are, from left to right, Carl Edwards, Kyl ...

''. He is also featured on the cover of ''

NASCAR Heat 2 ''NASCAR Heat 2'' is a racing video game by Monster Games and published by 704Games. It is the sequel to '' NASCAR Heat Evolution'', and was released in North America on September 12, 2017 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows v ...

'' after winning the cover driver competition at the

2017 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (XXXIII) is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stock car exhibition race held on May 20, 2017 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 70 laps, it was the second exhibiti ...

. Busch is featured as a playable driver in ''

Forza Motorsport 6 ''Forza Motorsport 6'' is a 2015 racing video game developed by Turn 10 Studios and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox One. It is the sixth ''Forza Motorsport'' and eighth overall installment in the '' Forza'' series, and available worl ...

'', via the NASCAR expansion pack. The expansion features twenty-four paint schemes from the 2016 Sprint Cup Series season, including Busch's No. 18 Camry with primary sponsorship from M&M's and Interstate Batteries. Busch, along with

Chase Elliott William Clyde "Chase" Elliott II (born November 28, 1995) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports. He won the 2014 NASCA ...

and

Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, ...

, provide commentary in the expansion as the "voices of motorsport." Busch had a cameo as a West Virginia state trooper in the 2017 film ''

Logan Lucky ''Logan Lucky'' is a 2017 American Heist film, heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh, based on a screenplay credited to Rebecca Blunt. Soderbergh came out of retirement to direct the film and distributed it independently through his own ...

''. In 2017, he appeared as a celebrity contestant on ''

The $100,000 Pyramid ''Pyramid'' is the collective name of a series of American television game shows that has aired several versions domestically and internationally. The original series, ''The $10,000 Pyramid'', debuted on March 26, 1973, and spawned seven subsequ ...

''. As of August 2019, Busch and his wife star on CMT's ''Racing Wives'' reality TV show. A professional wrestling fan, Busch has also appeared on

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

programming several times, including guest hosting ''

Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show f ...

'' in 2009, and 10 years later on the same program on December 2, 2019. During the latter appearance, he won the

WWE 24/7 Championship The WWE 24/7 Championship was a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It was a tertiary championship open to anyone—regardless of gender or WWE employment status—and carried the special rule ...

, pinning

R-Truth Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now ...

with fellow NASCAR personality

Michael Waltrip Michael Curtis Waltrip (born April 30, 1963) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, racing commentator, and published author. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience. He is the younger brother ...

special guest referee In professional wrestling, a referee is an authority figure present in or near the ring during matches. The referee's purpose is similar to that of referees in combat sports such as boxing or mixed martial arts, that is, as an arbiter of the rul ...

; R-Truth reclaimed the title later in the show. That event was part of a cross-promotion with NBC Sports with NASCAR's prize-giving banquet. In 2022, an American documentary, ''Rowdy'', was produced which focused on the NASCAR career of Kyle Busch. It was released on 29 June 2022.

Rowdy Energy

Rowdy Energy is a

drink industry The drink industry (or drinks industry, also known as the beverage industry) produces drinks, in particular ready to drink products. Drink production can vary greatly depending on the product being made. ManufacturingDrinks.com explains that "bot ...

business based out of

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach town in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The Del Mar Horse Races are hosted on the ...

that specializes in energy drinks. The business is co-owned by Busch, who founded it with beverage entrepreneur Jeff Church in 2019. The drink is named after Busch's nickname "Rowdy". It was launched in 2019 by both Busch and Jeff Church, who had co-founded Suja Juice in 2012. In an interview with ''

Autoweek ''Autoweek'' is a car culture publication based in Detroit, Michigan. It was first published in 1958 and in 1977 the publication was purchased by Crain Communications Inc, its current parent company. The magazine was published weekly and focused ...

'', Busch said he created the drink, "Just to have a healthier option for the fans, for myself." According to the company's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

channel, the first run of drinks were produced in January 2020. The drinks are available online in ten flavors, including seven

sugar free A sugar substitute is a food additive that provides a sweetness like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie () or low-calorie sweetener. Artificial sweeteners may be d ...

options that are Keto certified. The traditional drinks have 60 percent less sugar than other popular energy drink brands. Rowdy branding was first spotted at a race track during Busch's

2020 24 Hours of Daytona The 2020 24 Hours of Daytona (formally the 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona) was an endurance sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The event was held at the Daytona International Speedway combined road course ...

performance when, in the opening hour, Busch was seen with a can of the Cherry Limeade flavor and wearing a Rowdy Energy branded hat. The logo also appeared on Busch's

2020 Daytona 500 The 2020 Daytona 500, the 62nd running of the event, was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on February 16–17, 2020. It was contested over 209 laps—extended from 200 laps due to an overtime finish, on the asphalt superspeedway. It was the first ...

helmet and he was seen drinking one of the beverages following his exit from the race. Rowdy Energy is listed as an associate partner on KyleBusch.com. Outside of NASCAR, Rowdy Energy became a sponsor of

Formula Drift Formula Drift (also known as Formula D) is a United States-based motorsport drifting series. Formula Drift, Inc. was co-founded by Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage in 2003 as a sister company to Slipstream Global Marketing, the same partnership that intr ...

driver

Ken Gushi is one of Japan's top competitors in the sport of drifting. Born in Okinawa, Japan, but raised in San Gabriel Ca, he was taught by his fatheTsukasa Gushiat the age of 13 with a Toyota AE86. Ken has become the youngest competitor in both the D1 ...

in late 2020. The brand has also served as the naming rights for races such as the

Southern Super Series Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, ...

' Rowdy Energy Twin 100s at

in July and

sprint car racing Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, Ne ...

's TRD KKBM Giveback Classic presented by Rowdy Energy in November. Rowdy Energy is also the sponsor for sprint and midget car driver Rico Abreu.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (ma ...

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

Cup Series

=Daytona 500

Xfinity Series

Craftsman Truck Series

Camping World East Series

Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points

ARCA Re/Max Series

(

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

24 Hours of Daytona

Awards and honors

*Two-time

Champion (2015, 2019) *Two-time

Regular Season Champion (2018, 2019) *2009

NASCAR Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to ...

Champion *Seven-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner's Champion (as owner of

- 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) WWE *

(1 time) Media *Two-time

Best Driver ESPY Award The Best Driver ESPY Award, known alternatively as the Best Auto Racing Driver ESPY Award, is an annual award honoring the achievements of an individual from the world of motorsports. It was first awarded as part of the ESPY Awards in 1993. The ...

winner (2015, 2019)

References

Notes Citations

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Busch, Kyle 1985 births Living people American company founders American people of German descent American Speed Association drivers ARCA Menards Series drivers ARCA Midwest Tour drivers Celebrities who have won professional wrestling championships Drink company founders Hendrick Motorsports drivers Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers NASCAR Cup Series champions NASCAR Cup Series regular season champions NASCAR drivers NASCAR team owners NASCAR Xfinity Series champions Racing drivers from Nevada Rolex Sports Car Series drivers Sportspeople from Las Vegas WWE 24/7 Champions RFK Racing drivers Chip Ganassi Racing drivers WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers

Early life and career

NASCAR

Late model racing

Other racing

Charity efforts

Personal life

Legal issues

In popular media

Rowdy Energy

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

Cup Series

=Daytona 500

Xfinity Series

Craftsman Truck Series

Camping World East Series

ARCA Re/Max Series

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

24 Hours of Daytona

Awards and honors

See also

References

External links