Back in his early NASCAR Truck Series days with Billy Ballew Motorsports, Kyle Busch stood on the verge of something bigger than just another ride. Ballew already had a black No. 15 truck in the field when he approached his young driver with a simple question: What number did he want on the second entry? Busch saw more than a number. He saw a chance to become the version of himself he’d always imagined while watching Days of Thunder as a kid.

Instead of picking something safe, he told Ballew to take the 15, flip it to 51, and keep the truck all black. Then he went one step further and had “Rowdy Busch” painted over the door, a direct tribute to Rowdy Burns and the black No. 51 that had lit up his imagination on screen. But behind the on-track theatrics was a very different person, and someone who knew him and was close to him for years has now shared stories of a side rarely seen.

“I wish everybody could have seen the off-camera Kyle, the behind-the-scenes,” Busch’s longtime spotter Tony Hirschman says on the Door Bumper Clear podcast. “I know he’s helped just the short track stuff and behind-the-scenes stuff and doesn’t want notoriety for that. And that’s hard to come by.”

Hirschman, who worked with Busch for 11 years, couldn’t stop himself from praising Busch and his integrity when the camera wasn’t around anymore. There were multiple instances where he would call Busch about a driving prospect’s career, and Busch would immediately start thinking about supporting them in the right way.

“When he came to my dad’s shop, there one time, just when he walked in, it was just like the questions he would ask. Matt was working on his car, and at that point, I think Matt’s car was maybe 13 or 14 years old, and Kyle was like, ‘How old is this car?’

Matt’s like, ‘Oh, we built it in ’03,’ and Kyle’s like, ’13?’ Matt’s like, ‘No, 2003,’ so Kyle’s like, ‘Well, how many races you have on it?’ And Matt’s like, ‘I don’t know, like a hundred something.’ And then Kyle’s like, ‘Well, our average lifespan of our cars is 2.4 races or 2.3 races.’ So, my dad is just over there shaking his head,” Hirschman stated.

Kyle’s relationship with Hirschman extended far beyond their professional ties. They treated each other like family, and to Kyle, Hirschman’s son Matt was like his own, someone he helped get opportunities in the SRX Series, which was founded by Tony Stewart.

With Hirschman, Busch took part in 384 Cup Series races and won 95 across the three tiers. He was right by his side during his prime Joe Gibbs Racing years, when he won two Cup Series championships. Together, they were never complacent, with one eye always on how they can improve.

“He never gets stagnant, never likes, ‘Well, we’re good enough.’ He always wanted to be better,” Hirschman further revealed. 

Kyle’s kindness towards others has been heavily discussed by many in NASCAR since his tragic passing on May 21st, with the Coca-Cola 600 winner, Daniel Suarez, detailing how Rowdy took him in when he first came to Mexico and didn’t speak a word of English.

“(Kyle) didn’t have to help me,” Suarez said. “He didn’t have to help this Mexican kid who can barely speak English. He was already a legend of the sport, and he took the time every single week to help me. That, for me, spoke very, very highly of not who he is as a driver, but who he is as a person. Most people didn’t know that side of him. I got to know that side of him,” Suarez said last week after winning in Charlotte.

There are 10 drivers on the Cup Series grid today who are a direct result of Busch’s guidance and mentorship through Kyle Busch Motorsports. Through his Truck Series team, he helped drivers such as Christopher Bell, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, and, of course, Daniel Suarez develop into Cup Series stars.

The villain’s heroic activities behind the scenes

Busch had moments with fans that made his presence invaluable, even though he embraced his villain persona. Once, in association with Cheddar, he visited a classroom full of fifth graders in Atlanta near the Echo Park Speedway and interacted with them, sharing gifts and playing with their makeshift car models.

“We got to play some fun games with Kyle and even show off some race cars we made! We are so grateful to Cheddar’s and Kyle Busch for investing in our students and taking time out of their day to be with us! It is a memory they truly will never forget!” a teacher from the school shared on Instagram, giving an insight into the caring side of the 2-time Cup champ.

Kyle always wanted to inspire the next generation, both on and off the track. Because of the personal challenges he and his wife, Samantha, faced with infertility, they also launched a foundation to help others start a family. The Bundle of Joy Fund, which has given out more than $2 million through 150 grants to date, was created to help couples afford IVF, an otherwise costly procedure.

This hardly reflects who he loved being when the race helmet went on, of course. He wasn’t the angry racer ready to enact revenge whenever he saw fit. And to be honest, drivers around him knew that.

Carson Hocevar, 23, knew it was never too serious with Busch, no matter what happened between them. Earlier this season, in Texas, he called the sport’s newest Cup winner a d*****bag and a weapon, following some aggressive sparring between them in the Truck Series as Spire teammates. Did Hocevar take it to heart? No.

“I have all the respect for him on how good he is,” he said. “I just enjoy racing with him a lot. We were joking around pre-race,” he said, when talking about the driver he grew up idolizing.

His charitable heart, his giving nature, his guidance for drivers in need, and his no-nonsense “I love racing at all costs” attitude whenever he suited up for NASCAR. Kyle Busch, there will never be another one like you.