IN RAREFIED AIR,
BUSCH’S SUCCESS ON OFF THE
By Alex Apple
Kyle Buschs personality on the track has long matched his
hometown. Having nicknames that span from Rowdy, to,
ild Thing, to, Candy Man, speak to the many facets
of Buschs riding style, much like his eclectic hometown,
Las Vegas.
The driver of the No. 18 MMs/Interstate Batteries Toyota
for oe Gibbs Racing took home the 2019 Championship,
adding another illustrious chapter to what is uickly becoming
a storied career.
Busch is the younger brother of the 2004 Nextel Cup Series
Champion, Kurt, but if he ever felt overshadowed by his older
brother, the spotlight is his now with a second Championship
under his belt.
oe Gibbs ofcially has a juggernaut on his hands, and when
Busch emerged as the latest Champion, some speculated it
came only because two teammates were slowed by messups
on pit road.
Busch won the season nale at HomesteadMiami which
snapped a 21race winless stream and held off his
supercharged teammates Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex r.
Now Busch stands alone with immie ohnson as the only
active drivers with multiple Cup Championships.
18 THE OFFICIAL NASCAR 2020 PREVIEW & PRESS GUIDE
Twentyeight years after he learned to drive around his familys
culdesac, Busch is on top of the racing world. His racing
career ofcially began in 1998 when he was 13 years old. His
dominance started early as he captured more than 65 races
in legends car racing, achieving early success at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway.
He would move on to late models and then the Craftsman
Truck Series when he drove the No. 99 Ford for Roush Racing
in 2001.
Busch is the reason that NASCAR has a minimum age of 18
years to compete because Busch was under the legal smoking
age when he raced in a 98 event sponsored by Marlboro
cigarettes. Undeterred, Busch graduated early
from high school, hit the track and never
looked back.
He won ve times in 2019, but his NASCAR
career didnt start out uite as hot. In his
2005 rookie season, Busch won once at
New Hampshire International Speedway,
but even at that young age, Busch ualied
for the Chase for the Nextel Cup for the
rst time in his career as he garnered
second place for his efforts at Richmond
International Raceway which got him into
the top ten in points.