“I got my own limo all week long”: Kurt Busch looks back on the perks of his biggest NASCAR triumph

Kurt Busch took a trip down memory lane recently when he reminisced about his first Cup Series victory in Bristol. It was the year 2002, and it came two years after his Cup Series debut when he won his maiden race, the Food City 500, at the Bristol Motor Speedway, in Bristol, Tennessee.

As of 2024, Busch, who retired from the sport at the end of 2023, took a total of 34 Cup Series victories. However, the first win is always special, and it was no different for the 2004 Cup Series champion.

The then-Roush Racing driver won the 500-lap race ahead of Jimmy Spencer of Chip Ganassi Racing and Ricky Ruud of Robert Yates Racing. The #5 driver started the race from 27th place, but in the end, he took home the race win. Busch told Racer in an interview.

“It was so much fun, I mean, to be treated like NASCAR royalty, and to have different morning shows to talk about the sponsors to talk about the events that had happened was awesome.”

He added:

“I was able to thank people and go to New York and I got my own limo all week long. I was feeling like a baller with all the events and parties, There were the morning shows when you’re up at 6 a.m. It was such a fun week.”

Kurt Busch went on to win 33 more wins and established himself as one of the leading drivers in the sport. He racked in 776 races in over 24 years, where he won a championship (2004), 28 pole positions, and 339 Top 10s.

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Kurt Busch termed his Championship year as "magical"

During his long and illustrious NASCAR career, Kurt Busch won the championship only once, in 2004. It was the 33rd season in the modern era of the Cup Series and was sponsored by Nextel.

Kurt Busch addresses the media after announcing his retirement in 2023 - Source: Imagn

Busch won the championship that year for Roush Racing, driving the #97 Ford. He triumphed ahead of first runners-up Jimmie Johnson, and second runners-up Jeff Gordon, who finished eight, and 16 points behind him, respectively. Recalling the 2004 season Busch said,

"Me and Jimmy Fennig [his crew chief], once they announced the new point system, we sat down on Jan. 1 and had a game plan… 2004 was truly just a magical year."

"The way the season started, our overall game plan was to be an underdog and to be kind of a sleeper team. We used all of our setups from 2003 to start, and then as the season went on, of course, we were advancing." (As per Motorcyclesports.net)

Midway through the 2023 season, Kurt Busch announced that it was his final full-time season in NASCAR. He was replaced by Tyler Reddick in the #45 Toyota Camry next season at 23XI Racing.