5 extraordinary facts about Kyle Busch that you should know

Modified Jan 02, 2025 20:19 GMT

Kyle Busch, born on May 2, 1985, in Las Vegas, Nevada, is one of the biggest names in NASCAR history. Busch also goes by the name of "Rowdy" to the fans of the sport and competes in the No. 8 Chevrolet ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing. His NASCAR career officially began in 2001 when he joined the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at 16. Since then, he has amassed two NASCAR Cup Series Championships (in 2015 and 2019).

Busch is the leader in terms of all-time wins with 231 wins across the top three NASCAR series, with 102 wins in the Xfinity Series, 66 wins in the Craftsman Truck Series and 63 wins in the Cup Series.

'Rowdy' is also the first driver in Cup Series history to have won on every track he has competed on, completing this feat May 27, 2018, shortly after his 33rd birthday. But this isn't the extent of Busch. Here are five extraordinary facts about Kyle Busch that you should know.

#5. Kyle Busch: The beginning

At the age of six, in the heat of Las Vegas, Nevada, Kyle Busch drove around the cul-de-sac in a makeshift GoKart with his brother, Kurt Busch.

His short stature prevented him from reaching the gas pedal, so his father, Tom Busch, controlled the gas pedal while Kyle learned the basics of driving as he steered the machines, which he later became a master of. His time spent in the family garage with his father and future NASCAR driver brother kick-started his amateur career when he became the crew chief for his brother's dwarf car team at the age of 10.

#4. Nicknames galore

Kyle Busch's aggressive style of driving and at-par aggressive demeanor earned him the nickname "Rowdy" and he is also sometimes referred to as "Wild Thing", but his off-the-track life also garnered him a whole host other of nicknames.

Busch is known as "The Candy Man" because of his longtime sponsorship deal with Mars Inc.

His brother Kurt Busch's NASCAR involvement also earned him a nickname. He is playfully called the "Shrub" because he is the smaller Busch (a play on the pronunciation of the surname). Kyle Kush was adorned upon him because of his partnership with the cannabis company 3CHI.

#3. A pro-wrestling champion?

After Busch's 2019 NASCAR Cup Series win, he had another entertaining aspect to his off-track life planned for his fans.

At Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, Busch guest appeared at the WWE event, Monday Night Raw. He snuck up behind the then-holder of the 24/7 Championship, R-Truth and pinned him for the three count to be crowned the 24/7 Champion, a wild departure from his on-track accolades.

The 24/7 Championship was open to anyone and had to be defended at all times and it could change hands at any place provided there was a WWE referee present to witness the change.

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This was short-lived, as R-Truth, on the same night, rolled him up in a similar fashion and reclaimed his title.

#2. A motorsports team owner

Kyle Busch Motorsports was a professional dirt racing team that Kyle Busch formed after purchasing the remaining assests of Xpress Motorsports from J.B. Scott in 2010.

The team competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series from 2010 till its closure in 2023 when Spire Motorsports purchased it's assets. This was also the start of Kyle Busch's multi-year deal with Richard Childress Racing.

#1. The Rowdy accolades

Below are some of the accolades and achievements of Kyle Busch from his glittering NASCAR career.

NASCAR Cup Series champion: 2015, 2019

NASCAR Cup Series regular season champion: 2018, 2019

NASCAR Xfinity Series champion: 2009

All-time wins leader: Holds the record for most wins across all three major NASCAR series (Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series) with over 231 victories.