Why does Kyle Busch bow so much during celebrations?

Kyle Busch stood tall, checkered flag in hand, besides his winning Chevrolet racing cars. This was amidst the smoking aftermath of his celebratory burnout on the front straightaway at California's Auto Club Speedway last weekend. The closing touch: A huge bow to the delighted audience. Then one more for good measure.

The bow has been the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion's trademark winning gesture for decades. It is a way of saying "thank you" to his devoted fans and a subtle "maybe next time" to those who were disappointed that he defeated their favorite driver once again.

Kyle Busch admits that any response is rewarding, even though some bows are a little deeper or more emotional. Such was the case last weekend in California, when Busch drove the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy to his first victory in just his second points-paying race.

He joined the team this season after spending 15 years with Joe Gibbs Racing. Yet, the crowd's approval rating appears to be substantially higher.

"I think it’s just phenomenal, there’s nothing more rewarding than being able to go to Victory Lane," Kyle Busch said.

With an all-time high of 225 victories across NASCAR's three national series, Busch has had plenty of reason to rejoice and enjoy the moment. But curiously, he said he couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when "the bow" turned into a winning celebration known as the "Rowdy" win.

"I don’t really remember exactly how it started, but I just kind of came up with the idea of when I would do a burnout and one of the biggest burnouts I ever did — that I can recall — was actually early on in my career at Charlotte after winning an Xfinity Series race."

"I think I won my third or fourth race. When I did a burnout afterwards there was so much smoke that when I got out of the car, you couldn’t see the grandstands. So, I was just standing there, waiting for the smoke to dissipate so I could see the crowd."

Kyle Busch resumed his story and described how the inspiration for the bow first entered his head.

"I was like, ‘Heeeeey, I’m here'. So I thought of it as, I’m appearing out of the smoke, like I’m a magician. And being from Vegas and being a showman with the background of being from there, I was like, ‘OK, what do great performers do every time they have a great performance for the crowd?’ They come out and bow for the crowd and are getting applause for the end of the show, so that was kind of my idea."

Today, the driver has made it his trademark. Such bows are likely to appear more frequently in the near future.

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Chase Elliott is going to follow in Kyle Busch's footsteps

Kyle Busch was among the first NASCAR drivers to call Chase Elliott after the Georgia driver was wounded in a snowboarding accident before the Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Elliott underwent surgery for a fractured tibia, forcing him to miss last Sunday's race in Las Vegas and beginning a weeks-long hiatus.

Kyle Busch expressed his desire to support Elliott and provide him with any advice or assistance he may require. Kyle Busch is all too familiar with this stretch of road. Busch was involved in a multi-car incident on the 111th lap of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season opening at Daytona International Speedway in 2015. His car slammed with an inside wall towards the end of the front stretch at nearly full speed.

After months of rehabilitation and physical therapy, he then won the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win his first title. Now, Elliott is in a similar situation and hoping to get recovery just like Kyle Busch did and return to racing as soon as possible.