Kyle Thomas Busch was born on May 2nd, 1985 and was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He currently drives the #18 M&M's Toyota owned by Joe Gibbs Racing.
Being the kid brother of a NASCAR champion usually adds loads of pressure to a young driver. However, that has never been the case with Kyle Busch. At the age of 13, Kyle began winning races in the Legends Cars. In fact, he tallied sixty-five total victories in that genre of racing. Additionally, he posted two Las Vegas track titles.
In 2001, while still in high school, Kyle Busch began competing in Late Models. By this time, Kyle’s older brother Kurt Busch had become a rookie in NASCAR’s highest level of competition, so the pressure began to mount. Despite the pressure, Kyle posted 10 Late Model victories.
At the youthful age of 16, he made his debut race in the Craftsman Truck Series driving for Roush Racing. However, the NASCAR sanctioning body implemented a rule that disallowed any driver under the age of 18 to compete in any of the three premier NASCAR series in 2002. Hence, Kyle Busch’s blossoming NASCAR career was temporarily halted. Months before, he posted the fastest practice lap at an event in California, but was forced to forfeit his starting spot in the race due to the fact that he was under the age of 18. The race Kyle intended to compete in was part of a weekend of races, one of which had tobacco company sponsorship.
The age limit did not curtail his hunger for competition. He began competing in the American Speed Associate (ASA) in 2002, and finished eighth in the final championship standings.
Once Kyle reached the age of 18, many assumed that he would follow in his older brother Kurt’s footsteps and sign a long-term developmental contract with Roush Fenway Racing. Conversely, Kyle surprisingly announced that he would partner with Hendrick Motorsports and begin driving Busch (Nationwide) Series cars for them following his 18th birthday.
In 2003, Kyle Busch started six races for Hendrick Motorsports in the #87 ditech.com Chevrolet. He made his debut at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May, and posted an impressive second-place finish. Moreover, he won two ARCA races for Hendrick Motorsports at Kentucky Speedway and Nashville Super Speedway.
As the 2004 season commenced, Kyle Busch was set to replace Brian Vickers full-time in the #5 car. Vickers and the #5 team had just won the 2003 NASCAR Busch Series championship. Lowe’s, also the sponsor on the #48 Sprint Cup team driven by Jimmie Johnson, became the primary sponsor for Busch.
He claimed his first Busch Series victory at Richmond International Raceway in May after holding off Greg Biffle. Busch was only 19 year of age. That would be the first of five Busch (Nationwide) Series in 2004. Kyle Busch would finish second to Martin Truex Jr in the championship standings, and would claim the Rookie of the Year honors. Furthermore, Busch was named as the replacement in the #5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet Cup car as two-time champion Terry Labonte opted to reduce his schedule. He would become teammates with Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Brian Vickers. His crew chief would be Alan Gustafson. In March of 2004, Kyle Busch started in his first Cup race at his home track in Las Vegas. He would compete in a total of six races throughout the season in preparation for the 2005 season.
In only the second race of the 2005 season, Kyle Busch became the youngest Bud Pole winner at California Speedway. Ironically, he won his first race at California in September at the age of 20 years and 125 days. He would easily clinch the Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors after winning two races and finishing 20th in the final championship standings. Also, Kyle became the youngest driver to win a Craftsman Truck Series race at the 2005 Quaker State & Lube 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, just 19 days following his 20th birthday.
In 2006, Busch would win at New Hampshire International Raceway, and would easily qualify for his first Chase for the Championship. He became that youngest driver to compete in the NASCAR’s version of the playoffs. He was fourth in the standings when the Chase for the Championship began. However, he struggled in the season’s final ten races and would finish 10th in the final championship standings.
In 2007, Kyle Busch was a solid pick to return to the Chase for the Championship. In April of 2007, Busch won a milestone race in NASCAR at Bristol Motor Speedway as he was first driver to win in the newly designed Car of Tomorrow. The COT’s were bigger and heavier than the conventional template NASCAR teams had used for decades. They were designed to make the racing better and enhance safety. He held off veteran Jeff Burton for the landmark victory. Additionally, it was the 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports, and the 600th for Chevrolet.
At Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May, Kyle and his brother Kurt tangled as they raced in the Nextel All-Star Challenge. Kyle squeezed inside of Kurt and lost control and the two collided. The two brothers were miffed with each other, and tension appeared to be present even weeks following the incident.
Kyle’s season got even more interesting after it was announced that he would not be invited back to the Hendrick Motorsports stables in order to make room for the incoming Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt Jr, NASCAR’s most popular driver by far, reached a deal with Hendrick Motorsports in June of 2007 and Kyle Busch was the odd-man out.
Over the next two months, Kyle became the most sought after free agent and was linked to rides such as Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. And just when it appeared as if he would replace Dale Earnhardt Jr at DEI, he opted to join Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin at Joe Gibbs Racing. He was named as the driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota.
He would qualify for the Chase for the Championship for the second successive season and would finish a career high 5th in the final championship standings.
Kyle Busch has often been referred to as ‘Shrub’, which is a synonym for small bush. The nickname was originated from the fact that he was the younger brother of Kurt Busch. He founded the Kyle Busch Foundation in 2006, which is a charity that aids in providing safer environments for foster children and helping with other basic needs.
