“I don’t know what y’all are whining about. But if you don’t like that kind of racing, don’t even watch.” Kyle Busch said that at Chicagoland in 2018 after a win over Kyle Larson. He didn’t care about the boos being hurled at him. It was Busch being Busch, unapologetic, and fully leaning into the “Rowdy” persona of his. 

He carried this personality throughout his career, even during his final races. On the 21st of May, Busch passed away abruptly at 41 years old. As the NASCAR world mourns it is important to celebrate the man he will be remembered for, one who built his career never backing down from talking his mind.

Busch vs. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2008, Richmond)

If there was one single moment that maybe birthed that “Rowdy” villain persona, it might be when he clashed with the sport’s most beloved son. In late 2007, Kyle Busch was kicked out of Hendrick to make way for Dale Earnhardt Jr and that was the start of a rivalry among them. 

Earnhardt Jr actually was the one who spun Busch at Kansas in late 2007. That escalated the tensions between the two, and by the time Richmond came, the pot was scalding hot. In the closing laps of the race in Richmond, Busch made contact while Earnhardt Jr. for the lead, sending the No. 88 spinning.

“It was a recipe for disaster,” Earnhardt said. “Everything up to that point up through the first half of that year was leading to this moment.” Later Junior would return the favour in the fall Richmond race the same season. He spun Busch in what was a response to the pressure and buildup of that moment. 

Kyle Busch flips off NASCAR officials (2010, Texas)

Busch was at one of his strongest years during the 2010 AAA Texas 500. Busch was dominant all weekend and expected to win. Fast forward to lap 159, however, he spun around and triggered the caution. Now, while his crew was efficient in pulling him into the pits, service, and putting him back out on the lead lap, he made a small mistake on pit road: overspeeding.

Busch, despite trying so hard to stay on the lead lap, was penalized one lap. And so he decided to flip off the NASCAR official in front of his car, with both hands.

While NASCAR did end up penalizing him with a $25,000 fine, this gesture became extremely popular amongst fans.

Busch vs. Harvick, (2011, Darlington)

Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch were a dangerous pair to be coming together. Both drivers loved aggressive driving, and it was almost a given that even the smallest clash could turn out badly. And that was exactly what happened.

Busch, piloting the #18, was involved in a hard fight against Harvick’s #29. As the two kept making regular contact, Clint Bowyer found a gap to overtake both of them out of turn four. However, as fate would have it, the three-wide didn’t end up well. Bowyer was sent into the wall, and both Harvick and Busch suffered heavy damage.

After the checkered flag, however, Harvick pulled up right next to Busch, attempting to block him on the pit road. As he climbed out to confront the #18 driver, Busch drove off as fast as he could, ramming into the #29 once again, sending the driverless car into the wall.

“We tore up a few good cars there,” Busch said after the incident. Once again, he had the pace to win, but so did Harvick, and the two aggressive drivers found no peace on the track. But this entire incident made Kyle Busch stand out. Instead of confronting Harvick, he wrecked his car further, making the track look like a playground. While NASCAR was understandably unhappy with how the drivers handled it, Busch made sure to earn more fans that day.

Affairs turn bloody in Las Vegas, 2017

Las Vegas has always been a special venue for Busch. Las Vegas was Busch’s home track until 2017. Things went south when he was involved in a wreck with Joey Logano. The two drivers went all out to clinch third position on the final lap, and as Logano attempted an overtake from the inside, he ended up spinning Busch into the pit lane. He dropped to 22, while Logano finished 4.

Right after the race, Kyle Busch got out of his car and headed towards Logano, seemingly to talk to him. However, without uttering a word, he landed a punch in the #22 driver’s face. Both crews attempted to separate the drivers, who were now wrestling on the ground. By the time they were pulled apart, blood was flowing down from Busch’s forehead.

“Flat-out just drove straight into the corner and wrecked us. That’s how Joey races, so he’s gonna get it,” Busch said.

While these physical fights seem odd, they were not uncommon throughout Busch’s career; they happened again, very recently.

All-Star race turns violent, 2024

‘Payback’ was Kyle Busch’s middle name. Or at least it seemed so. During the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made a strong attempt to overtake Busch with very little gap. While he did make the overtake, he also made contact with Busch, and his #8 bumped into the wall, taking light damage.

Just moments later, however, the #8 chased down Stenhouse Jr. and sent him into the wall, ending his race for good. A payback a little too strong. After the race ended, both drivers got into a confrontation. Credit where it’s due, the two of them did exchange a few words… before Ricky Stenhouse Jr. delivered a punch to Kyle Busch. Both of the drivers were involved in a huge tussle, with Busch even screaming, “Bring it! I don’t give a [expletive]. I suck just as bad as you!”

There were quite a few people involved in the entire brawl, but it stopped soon after. By this time, however, the Rowdy had seemingly learned a great deal from his NASCAR career, which spanned two decades. “If there’s occasions where we’re next to each other at driver intros, you know, it’s no big deal. Just is what it is. Move on and put that behind us,” he said, reflecting on the incident later.

Even during some of his final races, the fire still existed within Busch. Just this season at Bristol, he did something similar with Riley Herbst, who had made contact with him earlier in the race. Busch made up to him, and right towards the final laps, he spun the #35 around.

While all of this seemed a little too aggressive on the track, this was exactly what earned Kyle Busch the ‘rowdy’ nickname. He was unapologetic and aggressive throughout his career, and not forget the most winningest NASCAR driver of all time. His passing was unexpected, and the entire motorsports fandom mourned it. Even the drivers who shared some of the fiercest rivalries with him paid him tributes on social media.

Kyle Busch, now survived by his parents, his wife, Samantha Busch, and his kids, Brexton and Lennix, gave NASCAR some of its most iconic moments. His words, victories, championships, and these iconic moments will forever be embedded in NASCAR history.