Cup | NASCAR

Remembering NASCAR Legend Kyle Busch

Image Provided by: Rob Branning | ATYL Media

Father. Competitor. Champion.

This was Kyle Busch.

The racing world is struck with grief over the sudden passing of Kyle Busch at 41-years-old. The two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion acquired 234 career victories across NASCAR’s top-three touring divisions with his final win coming at Dover Motor Speedway six days prior to his death.

As the motorsports community grieves this tragic loss, the ATYL Media team does as well.

It’s said that best way to cope with grief is to write, listen, and share the memories of the one’s that are no longer with us. That is what our team decided to do here.

ATYL Media extends our deepest condolences to the Busch family and the entire Richard Childress Racing organization.

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“In times like these, words are hard to find. Kyle Busch truly embodied the heart of what it means to be a champion. His accomplishments in this sport and his contributions outside of NASCAR have made a lasting impact that will forever be remembered.

My first memory of Kyle Busch was the M&M’s car that I saw on TV and as a diecast in the toy isle growing up. I knew who Kyle Busch was before I even knew really what NASCAR was all about. I remember seeing the battle between Kurt and Kyle in person at the 2019 Kentucky Speedway race… what an electric battle that was. The one memory of Kyle that sticks out to me though is a personal memory.

Back in 2025 when I was working with Racing America, I had the opportunity to interview several drivers for a special Daytona 500 show. This was the first full-feature show I had shot. Additionally, this was ahead of my first Daytona 500 ever.

The first drivers I interviewed as part of this shoot was Kyle Busch, talk about pressure!

Heading into that interview I was incredibly nervous, my hand shaking so bad I knew Kyle could tell.

Why the nerves? Because I knew the enormity of the moment.

Not only was this the first major interview I had done in my career at the time, but this was an interview with THE driver in NASCAR. He’s the driver whose personality was larger than life, the driver who dominated left and right, the driver that kept the media on their toes. To me in that moment standing next to Rowdy, he wasn’t just a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, but he was the driver I grew up watching on my TV wheeling the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota around the track before I even knew what NASCAR really was.

In that moment standing next to Kyle, I saw one of the first drivers I remember my grandmother mentioning to me by name over a decade ago. I saw the driver that won the first NASCAR race I had ever watched, the race that turned me into a fan. I saw the driver who I screamed about in the stands during an epic battle with his brother at Kentucky Speedway in 2019. I saw the driver I saw on my TV screen for years dominating at every track he went to cementing his name further in NASCAR history.

In that moment, I just felt lucky to stand in his presence and speak to him about his craft, the Daytona 500, and what this sport means to him. He was incredibly gracious, witty, honest. I felt his passion for what he does in his voice, his excitement for another race, his dedication… I was so grateful for the opportunity to talk to Rowdy.

It was fitting that Kyle was the driver that really got me into the sport and he was the first one I would interview as part of the biggest opportunity of my career at the time.

My heart aches for Samantha, Brexton, and Lennix who loved Kyle so dearly. My heart aches for Richard Childress Racing who lost a fierce competitor and teammate. My heart aches for Kurt, their parents…

This is a devastating loss.

My prayers go out to his entire family and the Richard Childress Racing organization.”

- Taylor Kitchen (Founder and NASCAR Creator)

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“My first Kyle Busch memory was when I attended my very first Busch Series race at Charlotte in 2003. Kyle was making his first career start in the series. Little did I know that this “kid” would go on to be the bane of my fandom for many years to come. I disliked him when he left Hendrick Motorsports and found major success with Joe Gibbs Racing. It wasn’t because I hated him as a person, but rather being jealous at his success. I didn’t want there to be someone better than Jeff Gordon, but there was. His name was Kyle Busch, and he was a winning machine.

I witnessed in person his very first Craftsman Truck Series victory. What I didn’t realize until today is that I watched him win 11 races in person. I never saw him win a Cup race, but when it came to the Charlotte Truck race, he was a sure bet to win (7 to be exact)! I also realized I was able to watch him in his final O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race two years ago at Charlotte. Not knowing that would be his last race in that series and seeing how strong he ran that day left a lot from me wanting more.

The sadness I feel is very much like losing a loved one. He was a name and face that became associated with every NASCAR race weekend since 2004. I hated to see him win, but damn was he good at it. He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.

Rest in Peace, Rowdy Forever”

- Adam Lucas (Editor in Chief and Social Manager)

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“To anyone in here who had Kyle as their favorite driver, my heart aches for you. I cannot imagine the sorrow.Joey’s always been my driver since his rookie year in 2009. However, my fandom for the sport would fade after the Daytona 500, and I’d lose track of what was happening.

In 2012, Kyle’s performance in the Budweiser Shootout saved my fandom. I tuned in every week from there on out. I could not believe what he did.

I spent the next decade telling people, “Joey’s my favorite, but Kyle’s the best by a mile.” His NOS 18 from 2016 is still my favorite paint scheme I’ve ever seen on a race car.

I loved his energy, his tenacity, his swagger, and his refusal to settle for second place.I send you all my love, and hope we can spend the year telling everyone just how great he was.”

- Dom Joseph (Racing Historian and Managing Editor)

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“My favorite Kyle Busch memory was a very small moment that taught me a lot.

Growing up I loved those videos of Kyle giving sarcastic answers in interviews. It was entertaining how he never filtered his frustrations on topics he didn’t feel like touching on. It was my favorite dimension of the villain persona he played into.As a member of the media those clips suddenly became my worst nightmare. The last thing I wanted to do when I was still finding my footing was ask a dumb question that got a YouTube-worthy answer out of Rowdy.That happened at Atlanta this year. Kyle wrecked out after being turned on the back straightaway. “How hard was that hit?” I asked him. I was intentionally brief with my phrasing, as the approaching pack was quickly about to drown out my recording.“They’re fun, I love hitting,” he said back to me. There it was. Somehow there was more relief than embarrassment. Those funny clips suddenly made more sense to me. Kyle wasn’t throwing reporters under the bus. It was real emotion, something few drivers share so freely. To be on the receiving end was to capture a moment of authentic Kyle Busch. As small as that moment was, I don’t take for granted the insight it gave me.I’ll forever miss one of the most authentic people in NASCAR.”

- Chris Gollon (Lead NASCAR Writer)

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“Kyle Busch was the lightning rod for an entire generation of NASCAR fans. I remember being at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008. My family were big Earnhardt fans, so when Kyle won that weekend’s Nationwide race, we were at the frontstretch, booing as loud as we could.Kyle, wearing a yellow-tinted visor, I swear made direct eye contact with us and delivered his famous bow. Even at 11 years old, I recognized how badass that was. He didn’t care what we thought because he was a winner. He had the sport in the palm of his hand bringing the polarization and counterbalance the sport so desperately needed.Every fire needs its fuel. Every white knight needs its black hat. NASCAR needed Kyle Busch”

- Buddy Pulley (Short Track Racing and NASCAR Content Creator)

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“I know there’s probably better moments but mine are more personal. I was at Talladega when he won in the spring of 2023 and Bristol in the spring of 2019. Those were full circle moments for me, as someone who grew up a Gordon fan wanted to see my driver get the best of Kyle Busch week in and week out. I found myself instead cheering him on and being happy for his success. Even more special was being there last weekend where we saw a flash of the Kyle Busch in the trucks at Dover with a performance so dominating, it felt like he was back in the 18 or the 5 doing it all over again.

Kyle was one of those people that transcends eras in this sport and won every step of the way. When he said “take whatever you can get man, you don’t know when the last one is gonna be. Trust me.” in the media center last week I didn’t think it would’ve had as much impact on me as it does right now. The love he had for the sport and his family are truly motivating and inspiring. He’s a legend and his memory will live on forever. RIP KFB 🕊️”

- Sal Nicosia (NASCAR Content Creator)

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“As a child, and honestly up until this past year, I was never a huge NASCAR fan. Despite growing up just 30 minutes from Daytona International Speedway, the sport never fully grabbed my attention the way it did for the rest of my family. Still, there was one name that even fans and non-fans alike always knew: Kyle Busch.My family took us to many Daytona races when we were kids, and my older brother rooted for Kyle because of the M&M’s sponsorship. But even back then, I understood Kyle to be exactly what his nickname suggested: Rowdy. Daring. Aggressive. Passionate. Competitive. Dominant. KFB.One memory that I hadn’t thought about in a long while until now is attending the 2009Coke Zero Sugar 400. Before the race, my brother went over to Kyle’s garage stall in the fan zone and was handed a few lug nuts from the car by the team. Years later, I still see highlight clips from the finish of that race, and Facebook memories from my parents reminded me that afterward, we were even gifted pieces of Kyle’s wrecked No. 18 Interstate Batteries car. Looking back, nearly every early memory I have at my home track, from Daytona 500s to summer night races and Budweiser Shootouts, Kyle Busch left his mark on my life and I didn’t realize it until now. He was an absolute constant.Now, years later, NASCAR has unexpectedly become part of my career. I’ve had the opportunity to photograph Kyle winning Truck races, sit in media centers listening to his notorious wit and honesty, and witness firsthand the presence of one of the defining figures of this sport. Whether fans loved him or hated him, everyone watched when Kyle Busch was on track. That is what legacy looks like.Long after the checkered flags wave and the engines go silent, Kyle Busch will remain cemented into the history of NASCAR, and into the memories of people like me who grew up around it without even realizing how much he was shaping those moments.RIP Rowdy.”

- Eryn Harris (NASCAR Photographer)

________________________________________________________________________________________“As a kid, Kyle Busch was the driver I never wanted to see around my favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, because I knew that KB was talented and could race anyone, any day, door to door, all the way to the end.

Kyle has really grown on me as I have grown up. I never understood his impact until May 21st, 2026. The moment I saw the news, I felt numb. Why though? Because his impact. Growing up watching him ever since he was a rookie. It’s my generations Dale Earnhardt.

I admire his honesty, his tenacity, who he was as a father to his two kids, and how to be a competitor.

Hearing the news that he passed truthfully made me feel numb. I couldn’t believe it. After getting off the phone with numerous people after the news broke, I broke down and cried.

We didn’t just lose a racecar driver. We lost one of our last great pioneers. A trail blazer. Someone who truly was NASCAR.

We lost a great father, husband, advocate for what he believed in.

As I write this, I reflect on what it’s like for Brexton and Lennix and Samantha. I’m not as young as Brexton was when he lost his father, but losing my father at 18, and immediately thinking of Brexton puts me right back into what I felt back in 2018.

My heart breaks for the family. My heart also feels so much joy that we got to witness one of the greatest drivers we’ll ever see.

We’re all a little Rowdy. RIP KB.”

- John Dirugeris (Motorsports Content Creator)

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“I got into NASCAR in 2021, so I never got to see Kyle Busch’s prime in the Cup Series. But I did see him go 5 for 5 in Xfinity races that year and I did see him win Pocono with transmission errors, among other impressive drives. Busch was one of the few drivers I knew about before getting into the sport because he was larger than life. Even though I never saw his prime, I still knew that he was a generational talent and I got the privilege to watch him race week in and week out for over 5 seasons.

I was in my friend’s room when I pulled out my phone and read the news from Bob Pockrass. I didn’t think it was real, but then it was. I turned to my fellow NASCAR fan friends, including my colleagues at ATYL, to talk about what happened and try to process this tragedy together.

Six days before he died, I watched him win the Truck Series race in Dover. I saw him by the bathroom of the media center on Sunday, and now he’s gone. Kyle Busch was one of the greatest drivers to ever race, NASCAR will never be the same without him. Rest in peace Rowdy, I hope you’re racing with Dale and Greg in Heaven right now.”

- Kevin Modeszto (NASCAR Editorial Contributor)

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“I haven’t always been the biggest NASCAR fan, but motorsports has always been woven into my life. The very first NASCAR driver I can truly remember from my childhood, the first driver I could recognize instantly, was Kyle Busch.His intensity, passion, and unmistakable presence demanded attention every time he stepped onto the track. You either loved him or loved to hate him, but no one could ever ignore him. A loss this sudden and heartbreaking is difficult to put into words, and this weekend, the track will undoubtedly feel a little emptier without him there.My heart aches for his team, but most importantly for his family and loved ones. I’m endlessly grateful for my friends at ATYL and for the racing community surrounding me as we all try to process emotions that still don’t feel real.Kyle Busch leaves behind memories, moments, and a presence that will continue to echo through the sport for years to come.”