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Vegas Native, Phoenix Raceway Wins Leader, Kyle ‘Rowdy’ Busch Leaves Everlasting Legacy

Photo by Chase Henry

“You never know when the last one is.”

Today, NASCAR announced the passing of the 2015 and 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Busch, just six days after celebrating a victory at Dover Motor Speedway, expressing why winning never gets old.

He was 41 years old.

The cause of Busch’s death has not been released. The Busch family released a statement Thursday morning that Busch was hospitalized due to “a severe illness” and he would not compete in this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a NASCAR crown jewel event on Memorial Day Weekend. NASCAR announced Busch’s death in a statement just over seven hours later.

Busch is survived by wife Samantha and children Brexton and Lennix. Samantha is the Executive Director of The Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund, battling infertility and helping hopeful parents afford IVF. Samantha and Kyle battled infertility for over a decade, facing six rounds of IVF, multiple miscarriages, and failed cycles, before welcoming their first child into the world, Brexton in 2015, followed by Lennix in 2022. In the hours after Kyle’s passing, hundreds of donations have already flooded into the foundation, often in the form of combining Kyle’s two NASCAR Cup Series numbers, 8 with Richard Childress Racing and 18 with Joe Gibbs Racing. The fund has awarded over $2 million in grants and helped deliver more than 100 babies to date.

Busch’s iconic ‘Rowdy’ nickname is pulled straight out of Tom Cruise’s famous NASCAR film, Days of Thunder doning the nickname on cars in 2006. Busch would also inherit the number of the movie’s infamous antagonist, “Rowdy Burns,” often running the No. 51 on the race cars he owned in NASCAR and while competing online on iRacing.

Naturally, the nickname fit the brash, sarcastic, and often witty personality of the 20-year-old, who constantly got under the skin of veterans and youngsters alike as a newcomer to the sport. From his infamous wreck with Ron Hornaday Jr., calling Brad Keselowski an @$$ in driver intros at Bristol, throwing equipment at cars, and throwing down against Richard Childress or Joey Logano on pit road, Busch knew how to get a driver riled up, and even more so, the fans. Known for his antics, his signature bow to the crowd amid a monsoon of boos, and his cry baby gesture, Busch could play the villain who could back up all the trash talk. But he also became the hero so many fans loved to cheer on and future stars of the sport modeled themselves after.

The only thing people love more than a great hero is a great villain, and Busch didn’t bother embracing the idea of being the villian, he owned it and fostered it. Busch irritated drivers, media, and fans, and then would go out on track and force spectators to watch him dominate their favorite drivers. “Everything’s great!”

But as the years went on, the growing superstar seemed to loosen up. Samantha would recruit Kyle to perform with her in social media reels, forcing the foolhardy driver to act, dance, and on occasion, laugh. And as fans watched the now-veteran Busch become a dad and drive his son to victory lane in his race car, the hearts of many who despised him for years began to melt. A crowd full of boos for well over a decade began to turn into waves of cheers that seemed almost foreign to the ears of Busch.

Brexton, Busch’s oldest son, celebrated his 11th birthday just three days ago. It could be speculated that Kyle found a new love for racing once Brexton began his racing journey a few years ago. Kyle is known as a racer’s racer, always itching for any opportunity to hop into a race car and compete for wins. As Brexton began his racing career, Kyle wanted to be right alongside him. The Busch family didn’t just support Brexton’s racing – as he drove Kyle’s No. 18 made famous during his time at Joe Gibbs Racing – they also brought Kyle back into grassroots racing. As Brexton battled in legend cars and dirt micros, Kyle did too, jumping out of his comfort zone to learn new racing disciplines so he could race alongside his son.

The two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, attending Durango High School. The desert native would make Phoenix his playground as he tore through the NASCAR ranks. ‘Rowdy’ claimed 16 total victories across all forms of racing at Phoenix Raceway, more than any driver at the track across all forms of racing since the Avondale oval opened in 1964. Busch’s first victory at Phoenix Raceway came in the Cup Series in 2005, his first of three in NASCAR’s top series.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Busch’s 234 career wins across NASCAR’s three national divisions rank above Richard Petty for the most all-time. He owns the all-time wins records in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. His final trip to victory lane came just six days ago at Dover Motor Speedway in the Truck Series.

Beyond winning as a driver, Busch was a prominent team owner in the NASCAR development series, claiming 100 wins as an owner in the Truck Series between 2010 and 2023. He also tallied one win as an owner in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, when his brother and 2026 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Kurt, claimed the checkered in 2012 at Richmond.

Kyle Busch transcended the sport, even if many of us didn’t want to admit it. He was a showman. An entertainer. A champion. And no matter how brash, how aggressive, or how loud, he could always back up his words with an onslaught of talent on the track. There will never be another Kyle Busch. Love him or hate him – and he certainly gave reasons for both – racing as a whole, not just NASCAR, is better because we got to have Kyle in it.

Thank you, Kyle.

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