"Grandma never got to see either of us together" - When Kyle Busch remembered the rivalry with brother Kurt that ended in a $1 million loss

Kyle Busch recalled when he and his brother Kurt lost the chance to win $1 million prize money from the 2007 NASCAR All-Star race. In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Kyle talked about not speaking with his brother and how their grandmother never got to see them together since the race.

Now in his 20th season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Kyle Busch is a 39-year-old driver piloting the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro. His older brother Kurt also competed in the premier series and won the 2004 championship title.

During the 2007 NASCAR All-Star Challenge in Charlotte, Kyle and Kurt were running side by side when his No. 5 Chevrolet lost control and collided with his brother's No. 2 Dodge. It resulted in both drivers exiting the race with 18 laps to go.

With a $1 million prize money on the line, Kyle and Kurt were understandably disappointed and didn’t talk to each other for the rest of the year, which also included the holiday season. Their grandmother chose to take the matter into her own hands and settle their issues.

“Grandma knows all this. So like I go visit grandma, he goes and visits grandma, like grandma never gets to see the either of us together. And so, she was upset about it,” Kyle Busch told Bensinger in 2021 [5:32].

“It was a bury the hatchet moment, and she’s like, ‘Boys, I need my boys. I don’t need this animosity. I don’t need this stress level at the dinner table. You boys need to put that behind.’ And it was, ‘Yes, grandma,’” Kurt Busch said [5:42].

The Busch were on talking terms once again in 2008. Kyle Busch further recalled that during his 200th win party in 2019, Kurt took responsibility for the wreck at the 2007 All-Star crash and stated:

“He wrecked me. He finally admitted it just two years ago,” Kyle Busch said. “Finally admitted it on my 200th win party. I called him out on it and he admitted he finally he wrecked me. I’m like, ‘all I wanted you to do is admit that you wrecked me,’” Kyle Busch said [6:07].

As a side note, Kyle secured his 200th win in NASCAR in 2019: 53 wins in the Cup Series, 94 wins in the Xfinity Series, and 53 wins in the Truck Series.

In 2007, the $1 million grand prize went to Kevin Harvick. Kurt and Kyle later won the NASCAR All-Star races in 2010 and 2017, respectively.

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Kyle Busch lost a lot of money after failing to make the 2024 playoffs

Kyle Busch admitted losing money due to his performance this season. He failed to make the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs this year, which ended his 11-year streak of postseason appearances.

Moreover, the RCR driver also hasn’t finished in P1 this year, which could put an end to his 19-year streak of winning at least one race by the end of the season.

In response, the 63-time NASCAR Cup Series winner said:

“I’ve lost a substantial amount of money, let’s say, in the last few weeks (because) of not making the playoffs, not getting wins and things like that," Busch explained. "That’s a big hit. But again, it is what it is.”

The 2024 season only has seven races left, with Kansas Speedway scheduled next on the calendar. In the first two playoff races, the No. 8 driver is having a rough start, finishing 25th at Bristol Motor Speedway and 30th at Watkins Glen International.

The Las Vegas native is currently ranked 20th in the standings with five top-5 and 10 top-10 finishes.