”We didn’t have the money to buy Kurt a car”: $80 million worth Kyle Busch remembers how his father’s “sacrifice” propelled eldest son’s racing career

Kyle Busch recently reflected on a pivotal moment in his brother Kurt Busch’s NASCAR career. Kurt retired from racing a year after suffering a severe concussion in a crash at Pocono Raceway in 2022, marking the end of his storied career.

Kurt Busch’s 23-year NASCAR career was highlighted by 43 wins across the sport’s top three series, including 34 in the Cup Series. His most significant achievement came in 2004 when he secured the Cup Series championship while driving for Roush Racing, now RFK Racing.

In a recent episode of the Kenny Conversation podcast, two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who is worth $80 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth) shared an untold story about his brother's inception in NASCAR, highlighting the financial need to be a NASCAR driver.

"When my brother wanted to start racing, we didn't have the money for my brother to buy a car. For Kurt to go to start racing, my dad had a car but nothing for Kurt, so my dad sold that '32 Ford for $32,000 and was able to take that money and go invest into some race cars for Kurt to get started and you know, he was making sacrifices left and right." Kyle Busch said [15:45 onwards]

Richard Childress racing's #8 driver then shared a piece of advice his father gave both the brothers, which steered them to be one of the greats in the Cup Series.

"I think one of the lessons that our dad taught us was you know, you have to take care of your equipment and you have to make it to where you're not spending a ton of money every week to be able to go to the racetrack the next week. So not crashing, not burning up the tires, not overrunning the engine, stuff like that. So like when we would get out front you know dad had a rule it was basically like 'Pace the field as much as you need to pace the field to lead the race' like, that's it."

Meanwhile, after a challenging Cup Series season plagued by unforeseen incidents, Kyle Busch fell short of expectations and missed the playoffs. However, the two-time champion is focused on redemption, aiming to reclaim his winning form as the 2025 season approaches.

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Kyle Busch's 2024 Cup Series season recap

Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, faced a tough 2024 season marked by mechanical failures and on-track incidents. Despite his efforts to secure a playoff spot, the Las Vegas native fell short.

In the final two regular-season races, Busch finished runner-up twice—first behind Harrison Burton, who earned his maiden Cup win and Wood Brothers Racing’s 100th victory, and again in the last race before the playoffs, behind Joe Gibbs Racing's newest driver Chase Briscoe, missing the cut after nearly 11 years in his Cup career.

The 2025 Cup Series campaign will start with the iconic Daytona 500 on February 16th at 2:30 PM Eastern time. Catch the #8 driver in action at Daytona Beach, Florida on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM.