"That's why they die": Kyle Busch tackles 'really tough question' regarding state of Fontana in NASCAR

Kyle Busch recently shared his take on Auto Club Speedway and the future of NASCAR in Southern California. The racetrack on the West Coast was a regular fixture on the sport's schedule until 2022. NASCAR sold off a majority of the racetrack and kept a small part with the intention of turning it into a short track.

Ahead of the race in Las Vegas, Busch was asked whether he feels it's important for NASCAR to keep Las Vegas thriving with regard to that demographic of fans. He was subsequently asked if he missed racing at Fontana and if NASCAR has to do something to fill that gap on the schedule.

"This is a really tough question to answer. Fontana was always one of my favorite places. I love that track. Even though it started off really rough for me, of getting kicked out of there when I was 16 years old, it certainly ended very well winning the final race there a couple years ago. So that place has a special meaning in my heart and, you know, all of Southern California does." Busch described via 'Cup Scene' YouTube channel. [11:10]

"There’s so many people around that area that, you know, for a local short track with 5,000 seats to not fill those seats, it’s just not the interest of the fan in those areas. So that’s why they die," He added.

Having said that, Kyle Busch claimed he understood 'the Fontana piece' and remarked that the value of the land was far more than what NASCAR was getting from ticket sales.

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Kyle Busch shares his take on NASCAR's 'broken' approval process

During the media availability ahead of the race in Las Vegas, Kyle Busch was asked about his thoughts on NASCAR's approval process for new drivers. While at first, Busch said he didn't have a good answer, he mentioned how he has questioned the said process for some time now.

"Being an owner in the Truck Series [with Kyle Busch Motorsports, which shut down after the 2023 Truck season] and seeing some young drivers get opportunities at different tracks versus my drivers that I was trying to get them opportunities at some of those same tracks getting denied," Busch said.

He claimed he was extremely confused, and even more so now considering the state of how the approval process works. In fact, Kyle Busch said that the approval process was broken.

It's worth mentioning that the 2x Cup champion also shared his take on NASCAR's penalty on Austin Cindric for his right-rear hook offense. Busch claimed that in his opinion, 'suit and ties' shouldn't make such decisions.

Instead, he believed that such penalties should be decided by the peers of racecar drivers.