To fully understand the impact of the loss of Kyle Busch, NASCAR Chief Executive Officer Steve O’Donnell says those outside of the sport must understand the family dynamic of everyone within it.
That was the theme of an opening statement and 20-minute press conference on Friday evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“Folks will often ask me when I’m around what’s NASCAR like (and) my best description of NASCAR is it’s like a family reunion every week,” said O’Donnell. “And those of you who have gone to family reunions, you know that from time-to-time families don’t get along, but at the end of the day, everybody knows that they’re all part of the family.
“If you look at our drivers, but just as equally when you think about family, that includes everybody in this room: media, team owners, drivers, sponsors. We’re all part of that group when we think about that family reunion. And when you think about drivers in particular, you get to watch drivers come into the sport — young, hungry, hopefully you see them win, and you see them grow up and you see them learn.
“You also get a chance when you’re in some of our positions to watch drivers off the track. You get to see them maybe find a friend, a girlfriend becomes a wife, they become fathers, they have kids, they start families. And you celebrate all that together because each and every weekend we are together, and we’re there to celebrate it.”
O’Donnell used that analogy to explain how he literally got to witness every personal and professional chapter of the Kyle Busch story as he’s been an employee during their entire tenure together.
“I talked about the family reunion part, and I think personally about Kyle Busch and NASCAR, and to me Kyle Busch just defines what it means to be a racer in NASCAR,” O’Donnell said. “Everything about it — the fire, the greatness, the heart that sometimes you rarely saw. The sport was truly lucky to have him.
“I believe I can speak for everybody in the sport, and I’ll just say this: For me personally, the family reunions week-to-week are just not going to be the same without him but we’re going to do our damn best to continue his legacy and support his family.”
Kyle Busch tribute at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images
Required rebel
Busch was frequently antagonistic to series officials, rival drivers and members of the press, but also used conflict as a test of sorts to determine who was ultimately worthy of his respect.
Everyone in the NASCAR industry has a story where Busch would challenge them, uncomfortably, and would later bond over something they previously battled over. O’Donnell was no exception in his previous roles as league president and a variety of vice presidential roles.
“I think throughout your career you have highs and lows,” O’Donnell said of his relationship with ‘Rowdy.’ “You battle it out, and you think, oh, ‘I’m going to win this one’ or ‘get the one-up’ but he was always that same guy who didn’t change, and at the end of the day, cared about the sport.
“I learned throughout my career that people with passion and people who care about the sport are the ones you need to listen to, and he was always that guy. At the end of the day, he would always have an opinion but it came from a place of somehow trying to improve the sport, the race car (and) the interaction at the track.”
NASCAR at times needed to fine and even suspend Busch for actions that occurred over the course of several race weekends. O’Donnell said Busch embodied the spirit of NASCAR’s slogan for the 2026 season.
Hell Yeah
“I think about how he launched the season and I talked about maybe we lost our way a little bit, and one of — proud of who we are,” O”Donnell said. “I think I said — sorry for the kids, but this sport is a badass sport. Kyle Busch to me is an American badass — behind the wheel, who you want to be. And I think, when you look back at all those things, that’s part of being a race car driver. That’s part of representing the sport.
“We’re not always going to agree. If we did, I think people would be really bored. We certainly had our battles, right? But I’d give a lot of money to have a few more battles going forward.”
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell at press conference discussing the death of Kyle Busch
Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Time and place
O’Donnell said Friday night was not the appropriate time to discuss the health circumstances surrounding the sudden death of the two-time champion but promised ‘transparency’ in due time.
Busch had come over the Richard Childress Racing No. 8 radio in the closing laps of the race at Watkins Glen and told his team he needed to see NASCAR’s traveling physician, Dr. Bill Heisel, for a shot after the race.
Last week at Dover, prior to the All-Star Race, he told attending media during a press scrum that he was still dealing with a sinus issue. Busch required medical attention during a session at the Chevrolet simulator and was hospitalized.
“We’re 24 hours from getting a phone call, and I don’t think it’s — out of respect for the family, and they’ve asked for privacy, I’m not going to address any of that,” O’Donnell said.
There was a brief pause before the next question was asked, at which point O’Donnell added to that.
“However, you guys who know me know that transparency is something we all believe in,” O’Donnell said. “So, in due time, I think everyone will be comfortable with where things stand.”
Kyle Busch with fans, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Fun anecdotes
The last conversation O’Donnell had with Busch came via text message on Tuesday. Busch was fresh off winning the Truck Series race on Friday at Dover. This was his fourth start of the season, meaning he was halfway through the eight starts he was allowed to compete in the third tier division, colloquially called The Kyle Busch Rule.
Start limits for Cup Series drivers was instituted because Busch frequently won a third of series races in both Trucks and the O’Reilly Series before NASCAR limited his appearances. O’Donnell said Busch was advocating for a special exception.
“He said ‘Hey, man, what do you think about an over-40 rule to be able to compete in all the Truck Series races next year’
“I said, you know, we put that rule in place because you were winning so much, but when we looked about it and had a meeting Wednesday internally, we thought, damn, that’s actually good. We need Kyle in the Truck Series.
“It was twofold. He knew he could help the series, but I think one day had a dream to race against his son in a national series event. That was Kyle, always thinking about the sport and going forward.”
O’Donnell shared a story about how Busch called Daniel Suarez every week when he first moved to the United States to help him acclimate to the language and racing culture.
There was also this:
“One of my favorite moments as well back in Texas, he would challenge NASCAR on some rules, maybe spun out, maybe hit the wall, decided that we needed to take him to the care center, laid flat out on a pit cart, made fun of us,” O”Donnell said. “I was mad at the time, but I look back, and that was damn funny, and that was Kyle.
“Always good to egg on the fans. Played that villain and was a winner. And the iconic bow I think we’re all going to remember as well.”
While Busch was frequently abrasive on the race track, he was also charming and accommodating away from it, in ways that did not always receive a tremendous amount of press and attention.
O’Donnell wanted that recognized too.
“The sport and all of us grew up and watched Kyle be a racer, but we watched him become a husband and a father the same way we watched him become a champion,” O’Donnell said. “We all did that as a family. We were all part of that. Kyle’s parents, Kurt, Samantha’s parents, all thinking about you for sure.
“Samantha, Brexton, and Lennix are not just family of a NASCAR legend, they are part of the NASCAR family, and they always will be because that’s what family does.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Team
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: motorsport.com
