CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Even before he was a teenager, Kyle Busch was hyped for stock-car racing greatness by his brother, who’s nearly seven years his senior.
“If you think I’m good, wait until you see my little brother,” Kurt Busch — announced last week as one of the nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s 2026 induction class after competing in the Cup Series from 2000-22 — said way back when.
Little brother Busch’s debut in a NASCAR national series race was delayed, though, when he turned up at California Speedway in 2001 intent to compete in a Truck Series event. He dominated practice in a race sponsored by Marlboro, but because he was only 16 at the time, Busch was ruled ineligible to compete due to NASCAR’s interpretation of the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.
The agreement prohibits individuals younger than 18 from participating in events sponsored by tobacco companies, and because NASCAR at the time was sponsored by Winston cigarettes, the series eventually adopted its own rule six weeks later implementing a minimum age requirement of 18 that began in 2002.
That left Busch no choice but to move to the American Speed Association’s national tour, and then the Automobile Racing club of America circuit after graduating from high school early in his native Las Vegas.
Fast-forward to Friday, when Busch will turn 40 years old as a two-time Cup Series champion headed to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth with a combined 232 victories across NASCAR’s three national series (63 in the top-tier Cup Series, 102 in the second-tier Xfinity Series — where he was the 2009 season champion — and 67 in the third-tier Truck Series). That’s twice as many Cup Series titles as big brother and more than five times as many NASCAR national series wins as Kurt’s 43 (34 Cup, five Xfinity, four Truck).
Busch can now laugh at his experience 24 years ago at California Speedway (later Auto Club Speedway), where he went on to win five Cup Series races, including the last one in 2023 before the Los Angeles-area track was shuttered by NASCAR.
“Shut that place down. Full-circle moment,” said Busch, who also noted the irony that his current sponsors include companies for nicotine products that tout their tobacco-free nature.
Busch celebrated his birthday early — during Easter weekend, which was the only break of the 2025 Cup Series season that stretches from February to November — with a vacation with his wife. They left their two children home, and Samantha made a heartfelt social media post honoring her husband.
“Early celebration for Kyle’s big 4-0, love ya babe,” Samantha wrote, sharing a picture of herself and Busch at dinner on a beachfront site. In a separate image, Busch could be seen with a small chocolate cake in front of him with a candle burning.
Busch said he and Samantha “made the most of it” even though he finds it difficult to unwind.
“Just a nice little quiet time, tried to disconnect, that’s not easy for me to do,” Busch said. “So I’m still kind of doing some work from afar, emails and things like that.”
And as for turning 40? Well, the driver nicknamed “Rowdy” wasn’t exactly thrilled.
Busch is in his 23rd season in the Cup Series, and although he joined Richard Childress Racing in 2023 and won three races that season in the No. 8 Chevrolet, the 2024 season was his first year without a win on the top circuit and led to him missing the playoffs. His losing streak headed to Texas is an eye-popping 67 races.
“I remember turning 30 and thinking that was going to be it,” Busch said. “It is what it is. Samantha has made the best of that for me where we celebrated my birthday on that trip. I don’t feel much older than I did five, six years ago. So that’s the good part of it. And I’m in pretty decent shape, so thankful for all of that.”
Busch briefly considered retirement at the end of the 2022 season when he parted ways with Joe Gibbs Racing, where he won both of his Cup Series titles (2015, 2018). Now he’d like to race at least until he can compete against his son Brexton in NASCAR.
Brexton turns 10 in a few weeks, so there are some years to go until 18 rolls around.
Once again, Busch will just have to wait.
Lawsuit update
The two Cup Series teams suing NASCAR in a federal antitrust case have asked a judge to dismiss the sanctioning body’s counterclaim.
In a 20-page filing Wednesday in district court in North Carolina, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports opposed NASCAR’s motion to amend its original counterclaim. The teams argued that the need to amend the counterclaim further demonstrates the weakness of NASCAR’s arguments, calling it an attempt by NASCAR to distract and shift attention away from its own unlawful, monopolistic actions.
NASCAR’s counterclaim singled out Michael Jordan’s longtime business manager, Curtis Polk. Jordan, Polk and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin are the co-owners of 23XI Racing, while Front Row is owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins.
The legal battle began in 2024 after more than two years of negotiations on new charter agreements — NASCAR’s equivalent of a franchise model for other professional sports leagues — and the 30-page filing contends that Polk “willfully” violated antitrust laws by orchestrating anticompetitive collective conduct in connection with the most recent charter agreements.
Front Row and 23XI were the only two organizations out of 15 that refused to sign the new agreements, which were presented as a nonnegotiable offer last September just 48 hours before the start of the playoffs. Those two teams allege that NASCAR and the France family, which founded and owns and operates the series and sanctioning body, are a monopoly.
NASCAR already has lost one round in court, where the two teams have been recognized as chartered organizations for the 2025 season. NASCAR has also appealed a judge’s rejection of its motion to dismiss the case.
Zilisch sidelined
Connor Zilisch, the 18-year-old driver who already has two Xfinity Series wins, will miss Saturday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway because of lower-back injuries sustained in a last-lap wreck last weekend at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway.
Trackhouse Racing said its developmental driver will return as soon as possible to the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. The team didn’t provide any additional details about Zilisch’s injuries.
Cup Series regular Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports will drive the No. 88 in Texas. After that, the Xfinity Series has a two-week break before racing again May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Zilisch, sixth in points through the first 11 races, was driving for the win at Talladega when contact on the back stretch sent his car spinning head-on into the inside wall.
Zilisch won in his Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen last September. He added another victory this year at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where he made his Cup Series debut that same weekend. He has six top-10 finishes in his 15 Xfinity Series races to date.
(via @ncaachamps/TT)
