Kyle Busch was an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. During his career, which began in 2003, he set numerous NASCAR records, and across its top three Series, won 234 races. He was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, having won in 2015 and 2019, and also was the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion.
Before his death, he drove full-time in the No. 8 Chevrolet ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Busch also competed part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, piloting the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports. He also had starts planned later in 2026 to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports in the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour.
During his career, Busch drove for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series from 2003 to 2007, Joe Gibbs Racing from 2008 to 2022, and Richard Childress Racing from 2023 to his death in 2026. In the Xfinity Series, Busch drove for Hendrick Motorsports from 2003 to 2007, Joe Gibbs Racing, Braun Motorsports, and D'Hondt Humphrey Motorsports in 2008, Joe Gibbs Racing from 2009 to 2011, Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2012, and again with Joe Gibbs Racing from 2013 to 2021. In the Truck Series, Busch drove for Roush Racing in 2001, Morgan-Dollar Motorsports in a one-off event at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2004, Billy Ballew Motorsports from 2005 to 2009, Kyle Busch Motorsports from 2010 to 2023, and Spire Motorsports from 2024 to his death in 2026.
The 2026 Go Bowling at The Glen marked Busch's final Cup race for points, where he finished in eighth, while the 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race was the final Cup race of any sort he would appear in. The 2026 Ecosave 200 in the Craftsman Truck Series was his final NASCAR win overall.
Hendrick Motorsports (2003–2007) Busch joined the NASCAR Busch Series in 2003 as a development driver for Hendrick Motorsports, after leaving Roush Racing's program. He ran seven ARCA Re/Max Series races for Hendrick, winning at Nashville Superspeedway in April and again at Kentucky Speedway in May.
After turning 18 in May, Busch competed in seven Busch Series races for NEMCO Motorsports, finishing second twice, including in his debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway and at Darlington Raceway. In November, he was set to make his Cup debut at Homestead in Hendrick's No. 60 Chevrolet, but withdrew after failing pre-race tech and not having a backup car.
2004: Busch Series Rookie of the Year Busch started his 2004 season by winning the ARCA Re/MAX Series race at Daytona, beating Frank Kimmel. He then began his first full-time Busch Series season, replacing Brian Vickers in the No. 5 Chevrolet, sponsored by Lowe's. Although initially set to share the No. 8 Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolet with Martin Truex Jr., Busch took a ride with Hendrick Motorsports instead. He earned his first pole at Darlington Raceway and his first win at Richmond International Raceway in the Funai 250 in May. Busch won four more races, tying Greg Biffle for the most wins by a rookie, and finished 2nd in points behind champion Martin Truex Jr., winning Rookie of the Year honors.
Busch debuted in the Nextel Cup Series in 2004, driving the No. 84 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He attempted nine races, qualifying for six, with his first at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His best finish was 24th at California Speedway. In October 2004, it was announced Busch would race full-time for Hendrick in 2005, replacing Terry Labonte in the No. 5 Chevrolet as Labonte semi-retired.
2005: Cup Series Rookie of the Year
In 2005, Busch won his first Sprint Cup race at California Speedway in September, claiming the Sony HD 500. At 20 years, 4 months, and 2 days, he became the youngest winner in series history, four days younger than the previous record-holder, Donald Thomas. Busch won his second race of the season at Phoenix International Raceway, finishing 20th in points and earning the Nextel Cup Series Rookie of the Year title. He also became the youngest pole-sitter in history after qualifying fastest for the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway in February.
Busch competed on a limited basis in both the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series in 2005. In the Busch Series, he ran 14 races and claimed a victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May. In the Craftsman Truck Series, he participated in 11 races for Billy Ballew Motorsports, winning three of them. His first Truck Series win, achieved at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 20, 2005, made him the youngest winner in series history at the time.
2006: First Chase Appearance Busch began the 2006 season with a 23rd-place finish in the Daytona 500. At the Coca-Cola 600, he was fined 50,000 and placed on probation after crashing on lap 314 and throwing his HANS device at Casey Mears' car in frustration. Despite the incident, Busch secured his first Nextel Cup Series win at the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 in New Hampshire. He qualified for the Chase for the Nextel Cup for the first time by finishing second at Richmond in September, ultimately ending the season 10th in points, 448 behind champion Jimmie Johnson.
In the NASCAR Busch Series, Busch competed in all but one race during the season, securing a victory in the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway and finishing seventh in the points standings. In the Craftsman Truck Series, he participated in seven races, including a win at the Quaker Steak and Lube 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Notably, his truck was painted to resemble Rowdy Burns' car from the movie Days of Thunder.
2007: Final Year with Hendrick Motorsports In 2007, Busch became the first Nextel Cup Series driver to win in the Car of Tomorrow, claiming victory at the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. Despite the win, Busch criticized the car, stating, "I'm still not a very big fan of these things. I can't stand to drive them, they suck." The victory marked Hendrick Motorsports' 200th NASCAR national touring series win, Chevrolet's 600th NASCAR victory, and the first win for a Chevrolet Impala in NASCAR since Wendell Scott's 1963 triumph at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida. In April at Texas Motor Speedway, Busch left the track without notifying his team after a crash, prompting Dale Earnhardt Jr. to step in as a relief driver. Later that month, in the Busch Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway, Busch endured a violent crash, flipping his car seven times in a wreck involving Tony Stewart and Casey Mears, which cracked his HANS device from the impact.
During the Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May, Busch and his older brother Kurt were involved in a crash while battling for the win, knocking both out of the race. The incident left the brothers upset with each other. Kurt joked, "I won't be eating any Kellogg's soon," referencing Kyle's sponsor, while Kyle declined to be interviewed. Both drivers were warned to avoid further conflicts. Although they claimed to be reconciling, it was later revealed that they didn’t speak to each other until their grandmother intervened at the family Thanksgiving dinner that year.
On June 15, 2007, Busch announced he would leave Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the season. Although a contract extension was offered, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was signed to replace him for 2008. Busch described the decision as mutual but noted it was influenced by a change in his agent. On July 7, 2007, Busch narrowly lost to Jamie McMurray in the Pepsi 400, finishing second by 0.005 seconds. In August, he confirmed he would join Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, replacing J. J. Yeley in the No. 18 Toyota. His time with Hendrick Motorsports ended with a 20th-place finish at Homestead and a 5th-place finish in the season standings. In a 2021 interview with Graham Bensinger, Busch revealed that incidents such as the 2007 All-Star Race and other outbursts led to a breakdown in his relationship with Rick Hendrick and the team.
Busch competed in nineteen Busch Series races in 2007, securing four wins and finishing sixteenth in the points standings. Additionally, he raced eleven times in the Craftsman Truck Series for Billy Ballew Motorsports, earning two victories.
Joe Gibbs Racing (2008–2022)
2008: Strong Regular Season that Ends with a Chase Collapse
In August 2007, he announced he would join Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, replacing J. J. Yeley in the No. 18 Toyota. Busch began his tenure with JGR by leading the most laps in the 50th Daytona 500, finishing 4th, and followed it with another 4th-place finish at Auto Club Speedway, becoming the series points leader for the first time in his career. He earned his first win with JGR and Toyota’s first Sprint Cup points-race victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Kobalt Tools 500. Later, at Richmond International Raceway, Busch spun Dale Earnhardt Jr. with three laps to go, allowing Clint Bowyer to win and sparking backlash from Earnhardt’s fans.
Busch won seven more Sprint Cup races during the summer of 2008. However, in August at Bristol Motor Speedway, Busch's dominant run ended when Carl Edwards bumped him out of the way and went on to win the race. Afterward, Busch expressed his frustration by bumping Edwards’ car, prompting Edwards to retaliate by spinning Busch out, which drew cheers from the crowd. Both drivers were subsequently placed on probation for the incident.
Busch entered the Chase as the points leader, but back-to-back poor finishes at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway caused him to drop from a 20-point lead to twelfth in the standings. Despite the setback, he rallied to finish the season in tenth place, recording a then career-high eight wins and 21 top-ten finishes.
Busch competed in 30 Nationwide Series races during the 2008 season, contributing to Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 Toyota team winning the owners' championship alongside teammates Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Tony Stewart. Busch drove for three teams and piloted four different cars, winning races in three of them. He recorded 10 wins, 4 pole positions, 20 top-ten finishes, and 18 top-fives, tying Sam Ard's 24-year-old record for most wins in a single season. His cars included the No. 18 and No. 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing, the No. 32 for Braun Racing (a Toyota-affiliated team), and the No. 92 for D'Hondt Motorsports (a one-off race).
In the Craftsman Truck Series, Busch secured a second-place finish in the Chevy Silverado 250 at Daytona International Speedway. The following week, he claimed victory in the San Bernardino County 200 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Two weeks later, he earned another win at Atlanta in the American Commercial Lines 200. His third and final win of the 2008 Truck Series season came on August 20 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
2009: Xfinity Series Championship Busch started the 2009 season with a strong performance, winning his Gatorade Duel qualifying race for the Daytona 500. Although he led the most laps in the Daytona 500, he was involved in "The Big One" and failed to finish the race. The following week at Auto Club Speedway, Busch made history by becoming the first driver in NASCAR to win two national touring series races on the same day, claiming victories in the Truck Series San Bernardino County 200 and the Nationwide Series Stater Brothers 300. He went on to secure Sprint Cup wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway later in the season.