Bio
Kyle “Rowdy” Busch’s rise to NASCAR Cup Series Champion and dominant racer took shape very early in his life. He unofficially began driving at age 6, when he cruised around the cul-de-sac of his family’s Las Vegas neighborhood in a makeshift go-kart. Busch was too small to reach the pedals, but that didn’t stop him from picking up the basics. His father, Tom, worked the throttle on the engine while Busch steered the kart on the street. Once Busch was tall enough to reach the pedals, an accelerated pace was set for his future career in motorsports.
As it relates to Busch’s next Cup Series title, it’s only a matter of time before his next one and how many he can rack up in his career. But no matter what happens, how Busch won his first title in 2015 will be difficult to top. After suffering what most considered a season-ending injury at the first race of the year, in February, Busch made a miraculous recovery getting back in the car months before the doctors thought he would. He pushed himself so that just two and a half short months later he could race the NASCAR All-Star race on May 16 and most importantly stand by his wife Samantha’s side for the birth of their son on May 18.
Busch and then rookie crew chief Adam Stevens along with the entire team turned around their season in late June by winning at Sonoma Raceway. The win started a remarkable streak of four wins in five weeks, including three in a row and the prestigious Brickyard 400. With the hot streak, Busch and company catapulted their way into the top-30, clinching a playoff berth at the Labor Day weekend race at Darlington Raceway.
Busch was granted a medical waiver by NASCAR that allowed him to be eligible for the playoffs despite missing the first 11 regular-season races – with the requirements that Busch had to win a regular-season race, and also had to finish the regular season in the top-30 in driver points.
Once in the playoffs, Busch and Stevens navigated the difficult 10-race, 16-driver playoffs with hard work and smart racing. After taking the lead with 10 laps to go at Homestead, Busch brought home his first Cup Series title by winning the series finale, and the championship, capping off a season to remember for Busch and fans around the world.
After capturing the 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in historic fashion, Busch backed up his performance by finishing the 2016 season in third place and a close runner-up finish in 2017.
Entering his 13th season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, 32-year-old Busch has established himself as one of the sport’s top stars.
The winner of 43 races in NASCAR’s Cup series, Busch has accumulated an impressive combined 184 wins in NASCAR’s top three series – quickly approaching Richard Petty’s record of 200 wins.
While he’s not dominating on the track, Busch is busy running his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports. The team holds series records for most wins (56), most wins a single season (14 in 2014) and most Owner’s Championships (six). Erik Jones earned the team its first ever Driver’s Championship in 2015, and Christopher Bell earned the title in 2017.
The common theme throughout Busch’s life – whether on the track or running his many business ventures – is the drive to win.
