The conversation opens with a somber Kyle Busch tribute, including family and community moments at Charlotte Motor Speedway and reflections on how the NASCAR world rallies around loved ones. Harvick then revisits their rivalry—starting at Dover in 2005—along with on-track memories and the respect that grew over time. The show pivots to Daniel Suárez’s Coca-Cola 600 win, tying it to late-race strategy, restarts, and weather. Nashville follows with track prep talk, points pressure, and quick picks.
Kevin Harvick, Kaitlyn Vincie, and Mamba Smith tell their favorite stories about NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, who tragically passed away last week. The crew discuss Daniel Suárez winning the Cup Series race at Charlotte and dedicating his win to Busch, as well as NASCAR and the drivers honoring Busch’s life before and during the race. To wrap up the show, the trio react to Mamba’s Social Sips, with a full focus on the best Kyle Busch moments.
0:00 - Intro
:15 - Kyle Busch Tribute
22:42 - Charlotte Weekend Recap
27:38 - Nashville Preview
30:34 - Mamba’s Social Sips
34:42 - Kevin Harvick Elected To 2027 NASCAR Hall Of Fame
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"And Kevin, you and him had a friendly and sometimes not so friendly rivalry over the years.
[429.8s] You raced each other 933 times in the top series.
[434.3s] So what did you enjoy about racing against Kyle Busch"
They’re talking about a long rivalry between two NASCAR drivers. The point is that when two people are really competitive, they often make each other better.
They describe how Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch pushed each other through a long-running NASCAR rivalry. The key idea is that competition can raise performance because each driver tries to out-think and out-perform the other.
"You raced each other 933 times in the top series.
[434.3s] So what did you enjoy about racing against Kyle Busch
[438.8s] and how did you guys kind of make each other better?"
They’re saying they raced each other in NASCAR’s main, top-level series. That’s the highest competition level compared with the lower series.
They mention racing each other “in the top series,” meaning NASCAR’s premier division rather than the lower-tier national series. This matters because the level of competition, car setup, and race strategy are typically more intense in the top series.
Topic
truck teams
"And it was, it was a cat and mouse game for a long time because there was,
[462.3s] there were truck teams and businesses and things involved.
[466.7s] You know, it was more than just the driving part."
They’re saying it wasn’t only about the drivers—teams and organizations were part of the rivalry too. NASCAR teams handle the car and race planning, not just driving.
They talk about “truck teams” and “businesses” being involved, highlighting that NASCAR competition includes team operations beyond just the driver. In NASCAR, teams manage car preparation, strategy, and performance development across different series.
"And, you know, I think when you look back, that rivalry really fired off back in 2005
[475.4s] at Dover in a Busch series race when Kyle was just getting started.
[480.3s] But the thing about Kyle is Kyle was so good and so fast,"
They say the rivalry started getting serious at Dover during a Busch Series race. The Busch Series is NASCAR’s second-level series, where many drivers build their careers.
They reference Dover as the place where the rivalry “really fired off” during a Busch Series race. In NASCAR, the Busch Series was the sport’s national second-tier series (now known as the Xfinity Series).
"You didn't sit on my side and root for Kyle Busch and you didn't sit on Kyle Busch's
side and root for Kevin Harvick."
Kevin Harvick is a famous NASCAR driver and champion. In this part of the show, he’s sharing stories about races and rivalries from his career.
Kevin Harvick is a former NASCAR Cup Series champion and one of the sport’s most accomplished drivers. This segment is framed around his memories of racing Kyle Busch and other drivers, emphasizing how competition and fan loyalty shaped the experience.
"You didn't sit on my side and root for Kyle Busch and you didn't sit on Kyle Busch's
side and root for Kevin Harvick."
Kyle Busch is a well-known NASCAR driver. Here, the speaker is talking about their long-running on-track battles and rivalry with him.
Kyle Busch is a top NASCAR driver known for winning across multiple series and for his competitive, sometimes fiery on-track style. In this segment, he’s central to the rivalry and the “two sides” dynamic the speaker describes.
"You know, I think that New Hampshire was fun for me in 2000, I believe it was 2018
where we raced and I moved him out of the way at the end and won the race."
This is a specific NASCAR race track in New Hampshire. The host is talking about a memorable race there involving Kyle Busch and him.
New Hampshire refers to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a NASCAR venue known for high-speed racing and long runs. When the speaker says it was “fun for me” there, they’re pointing to a specific track where a notable on-track incident happened between them and Kyle Busch.
"We had a great race at Bristol.
I don't remember what year it was."
Bristol is another major NASCAR track. It’s known for tight, aggressive racing, and the speaker is saying they had a memorable, hard-fought race there.
Bristol refers to Bristol Motor Speedway, one of NASCAR’s most famous short tracks. The speaker’s “great race at Bristol” line highlights how intense and close racing can be there, including side-by-side runs and frequent position battles.
"But we raced the whole last run as hard as we could go to get ourselves in victory lane
[1008.6s] and raced side by side up the racetrack, bottom of the racetrack all over the place"
“Victory lane” is the ceremonial area at a NASCAR track where the winning driver parks and celebrates after the race. It’s a key part of the sport’s ritual—crossing the finish line means you earn a spot in victory lane.
Person
Hornaday
"Some of the more memorable moments, I used to love when Hornaday would beat Kyle
because it would drive him absolutely mad."
Hornaday is another NASCAR driver. The speaker is saying that when Hornaday beat Kyle Busch, it really bothered Busch and stood out as a memorable moment.
Hornaday refers to a NASCAR driver named Todd Hornaday (often discussed in NASCAR circles as “Hornaday”). The speaker mentions Hornaday beating Kyle Busch as a memorable moment because it upset Busch, showing how rivalries and results can emotionally affect drivers.
"I think when you look at the call and then you have the couple restarts there at the end of the race,
[1446.6s] Daniel did a great job."
A “restart” is when the race starts moving again after a slowdown or caution. It’s a critical moment because whoever gets going well can gain position.
A “restart” in NASCAR is when racing resumes after a caution period (like an incident or weather). Restarts are high-stakes because track position and timing determine who can accelerate first and control the field.
"Up on top of that pit box is where that opportunity started.
[1454.1s] And then the rain coming in to end this race."
A “pit box” is the specific stall in a NASCAR pit area assigned to a team. Crew members use it to service the car during pit stops, and strategy decisions often begin with what happens from that box.
"And then it started to rain a little bit.
[1465.3s] And then that cell kind of grew and went over the top of the racetrack."
Here, “cell” means a moving storm area. NASCAR teams track storms because when rain arrives can change the strategy and even how the race finishes.
In this context, “cell” refers to a weather cell—an organized area of storms that can move across the track. NASCAR teams watch storm cells closely because rain timing can force strategy changes and affect whether the race ends under wet conditions.
"and keep that track position to keep himself as the leader until the end of the race.
[1482.9s] And I think for all of us at the beginning of the year,"
“Track position” means where your car is on the track compared to the other cars. Staying out front (or near the front) helps you avoid getting stuck in traffic and makes it easier to control the race.
“Track position” is where a car sits relative to others on the circuit. In NASCAR, maintaining track position—especially near the end—can be as important as outright speed because it affects clean air, passing opportunities, and restart control.
"for someone from the Coke family to win the Coca-Cola 600. Like, like it circled on the calendar."
The Coca-Cola 600 is a major NASCAR race that’s known for being extremely long. In a race that long, timing and strategy—like pit stops—can be just as important as having a fast car.
The Coca-Cola 600 is NASCAR’s longest race on the schedule, run at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Because it’s so long, strategy, pit stops, and staying out of trouble often matter as much as outright speed.
"for someone from the Coke family to win the Coca-Cola 600. Like, like it circled on the calendar."
“Coke” is short for Coca-Cola. The hosts are pointing out that the Coca-Cola 600 is a big deal because it’s tied to the Coca-Cola brand.
“Coke” here refers to the Coca-Cola brand, tying the race’s name to the sponsor/brand identity. NASCAR events often have title sponsors, and those brand names become part of how fans talk about specific races.
"They have to be feeling very confident, leaving one of the toughest and longest races of the year."
When they say it’s one of the toughest and longest races, they mean it’s a test of staying consistent for a long time. Strategy and avoiding trouble matter a lot because the race lasts so long.
In NASCAR, “longest” and “toughest” races emphasize endurance and consistency over raw speed. Over many laps, tire wear, fuel strategy, and avoiding incidents become decisive.
"And Kyle Larson kind of ran in the middle of him when he'd beat him out on a pit stop or get a better restart."
A pit stop is when the car comes into the pits to change tires and get serviced. In NASCAR, the timing of that stop can help you get ahead or fall behind on the track.
A pit stop is when a NASCAR car enters the pit lane to refuel and/or change tires, and to make adjustments. Because pit stops affect track position, winning or losing a pit stop can determine who leads at key moments.
"But yeah, I agree with you guys on a mile and a half or really anywhere at this point. But on the mile and a half, for sure, if you're driving a Toyota, you're feeling pretty good about it."
“Mile and a half” means the track is roughly 1.5 miles long. Different track sizes change how teams set up the car and plan the race.
A “mile and a half” is NASCAR shorthand for tracks that are about 1.5 miles long. Track length affects car setup and race strategy, so the hosts are tying manufacturer confidence to that specific track type.
"Heading into Nashville this weekend. That's where we're headed next, if you can believe it."
Nashville is where the next NASCAR race is going. The hosts are basically saying, “We’re heading there next.”
Nashville is the next stop on the NASCAR schedule in this segment. The hosts frame it as heading to “Music City USA,” signaling a specific upcoming race location.
"Luckily, he scored, you know, more stage points than most yesterday and kind of protected himself from that wreck at the end."
NASCAR races are split into sections called stages. “Stage points” are points you earn in those sections, and they can help you stay higher in the standings even if you crash late.
“Stage points” are points earned during NASCAR race stages (not just at the finish). The hosts say Briscoe scored more stage points than most, which helped him protect his position after a late wreck.
"They were pretty consistent again this weekend, but the 12 of Ryan Blaney, like they're not under pressure, but they need to keep capitalizing on it. ... They don't have like the total raw speed, so they need to find a little bit of raw speed as we enter the dog days of summer."
“Raw speed” means the car’s natural ability to go fast. The hosts are saying some teams are doing okay with strategy, but they still need more outright pace.
“Raw speed” is the car’s underlying pace—how fast it can run without relying on strategy or luck. The hosts say some teams don’t have the total raw speed yet, so they need to find more pace as the season moves into the “dog days of summer.”
"They don't have like the total raw speed, so they need to find a little bit of raw speed as we enter the dog days of summer."
“Dog days of summer” just means the hottest time of the year. Hot weather can make tires wear differently and change how the car handles, so teams have to adjust.
“Dog days of summer” is a motorsports way of describing the hottest part of the season. In NASCAR, heat can affect tire wear, grip, and how hard it is to keep the car balanced, so teams often need setup changes to stay competitive.
Term
Mullergans
"They can't, they have no more Mullergans, I don't think, to do this thing."
“Mullergans” means “extra chances.” The host is saying they don’t have room for another mistake because the season is getting too close to the end.
“Mullergans” is a slang term used in racing broadcasts meaning you don’t have many chances left to make mistakes. The host is saying Briscoe can’t afford another error because the championship situation is too tight.
"but unless they fix their pit crew, they're in big trouble.
Yes, we did see that rear his head once again on Sunday at Charlotte."
The pit crew is the group of mechanics and helpers that work on the race car during quick stops. If they’re not fast or don’t do it right, the car loses time and position.
In NASCAR, the pit crew is the team that services the car during pit stops—changing tires, refueling, and making adjustments in just a few seconds. If the pit crew is slow or makes mistakes, the car loses track position and can fall behind quickly.
"Yes, we did see that rear his head once again on Sunday at Charlotte.
Okay, so how tough is Nashville?"
Charlotte is a famous NASCAR race track. Drivers and teams learn a lot there because the track forces specific driving and car setup choices.
Charlotte refers to the Charlotte Motor Speedway area, a major NASCAR venue where teams and drivers often use it as a benchmark for setup and race strategy. Track-specific issues—like tire wear and handling balance—show up clearly there.
"They're going to put the, you know, a resin all over the racetrack, I would assume, to make the groove.
Do what it did in Dover in Nashville so that it takes rubber and does all those things."
The groove is the part of the track where the tires have worn in the best path. Racing there usually gives the most grip, so it’s faster.
The groove is the preferred racing line on an oval—where tires have laid down rubber and grip is best. When the groove develops, drivers can carry more speed, but if they’re off it they may lose traction and time.
"They're going to put the, you know, a resin all over the racetrack, I would assume, to make the groove.
Do what it did in Dover in Nashville so that it takes rubber and does all those things."
Resin here means a coating put on the track to help create a better racing line. It changes how tires stick to the surface as the race goes on.
In this context, resin is a track-surface treatment applied to help create and stabilize a racing groove. It influences how rubber lays down, which affects grip levels and how the car rotates in corners.
"You're going to see that track rubber up very rough in turns three and four down there
when you start running the top of the racetrack."
Track rubber is the rubber transfer from tires onto the racing surface as cars run. It changes grip and surface consistency—sometimes making turns rougher or more unpredictable, especially when drivers move to the top of the track.
"So you've got to be somewhat aware of where your bump stops are set
and how and where the car is pointed at that part of the corner, but can't overdrive it."
Bump stops are like hard limits for the suspension so it can’t compress too far. If they’re set wrong, the car can feel unstable or lose grip when you hit bumps or load up in turns.
Bump stops are suspension components that limit how much the suspension compresses. On a rougher, rubbery surface, where the car loads up in corners, bump stop settings affect ride height, tire contact, and how stable the car feels mid-corner.
"You can't charge the corners extra hard because you've got to be able to be in the throttle from the center of the corner out.
So fun racetrack."
Throttle means how much you press the gas pedal. In racing, when you get back on the gas after a turn can make or break how fast you exit.
Throttle refers to the driver’s accelerator input, which controls engine power delivered to the wheels. The speaker emphasizes getting back to throttle earlier and smoothly from the center of the corner out, because that’s where traction and balance determine exit speed.
Term
concrete service
"So fun racetrack.
Glad we're back in Nashville and, you know, that concrete service creates quite the challenge as you go throughout the weekend."
This is about the track surface being concrete and how it’s prepared. Concrete can make the car behave differently as tires wear and grip changes during the weekend.
“Concrete service” appears to refer to the concrete surface and its preparation/conditioning for racing. Concrete tracks can be more sensitive to tire wear and grip evolution, which is why the host calls it a weekend challenge.
- Intro
- Charlotte Weekend Recap
- Nashville Preview
- Mamba’s Social Sips
- Kevin Harvick Elected To 2027 NASCAR Hall Of Fame
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Welcome to Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by Nascar on Fox.
I'm Kevin Harvick in Indianapolis, and Caitlin Binsey and Mama Smith
are in the studio this week. How are you guys?
Well, we're doing good. We miss you, of course, Kevin.
We is a relative term, but yes, we are.
He does too.
Guys, it's a somber Monday here because on Happy Hour,
we do want to reflect on the life and legacy of Kyle Busch,
one of the greatest wheelmen in the history of motorsports, gone too soon.
The community found out last week that we had lost him to a severe case of pneumonia.
So it has been a really, really tough week for a lot of us in the sports community as a whole.
So, Kevin, we saw over the weekend, Samantha, Brexton, Lennox, Kyle's parents,
his brother Kurt, Samantha's family came to the racetrack out at Charlotte Motor Speedway
for the 600. So many beautiful tributes for Kyle throughout the course of the last several days.
I imagine it had to have been a healing moment for the family to be there at the racetrack
with the support of community of the motorsports family.
Well, it's a tough situation as to what the right or wrong thing is to do.
And I think in that instance, you obviously want to lean on the family to do what they want to do.
And, you know, I think seeing Brexton and Lennox and Samantha and Kyle,
Kyle's parents and his brother Kurt at the racetrack.
And, you know, I think everybody there wants to help them,
whether it's wives, husbands, kids, team owners,
everybody wants to help their family get through this as good as they can.
There's no easy way to get through it.
And I think that when you look back and you see that support standing behind you
as they gathered around Kyle's number with Steve O'Donnell addressing,
you know, the fans and the family and seeing Richard Childress stand there,
you know, it's not easy.
It is not an easy situation to have to go through.
I've unfortunately been through this, you know, a couple of times now
and you look back at everything that happened with Dale
and, you know, everything that RCR had to deal with and their family
and, you know, just eerily different but similar in the way that we have to deal with it.
And, you know, I think that if you look at Kyle and what he would want
is probably very similar to what Dale would have wanted.
He would have wanted those cars on the racetrack and, you know,
the healing to come from the race cars on the track and the fans and families
and people and teams being able to work their way back to normal.
But it's going to take a while.
It certainly is.
It was a beautiful display and tribute to Kyle Bush.
Mamba, I know you were out at the racetrack.
And just what did you kind of observe from your time at Charlotte over the weekend?
Yeah, I mean, it was really somber, right?
It was very, there was a lot of Kyle Bush merchandise that was out
and that was really cool to see.
And it was really cool to see.
And then also the same time, every time you saw someone wearing something different,
it was like, it was a gut punch, you know, over and over.
And it's going to be like that for a while.
And I think about watching Brexton console his 11 year old boy.
I feel like became a man in a moment.
And now he's consoling his mom and like he's the man of the house.
And I think that's just incredible.
That's incredibly difficult.
And, you know, for them to even show up, I was shocked just because I don't know
how I would be in that situation if I would want to be at the racetrack.
But that is where the family's at.
That is where our home.
That's where we all do stuff together.
So, you know, obviously think about them.
And then there's a generation of millennials, Kevin, like myself,
that we remember Dale and what happened, but we were all very young too.
And so to see this kind of happen again in a similar manner is very eerie to me.
And I want to ask you about RC, Richard Childress.
I can't imagine what they're feeling like either,
feeling like they're going through the same thing again with another Titan of the sport.
Yeah.
And, you know, I think Richard was really close to Dale,
obviously with the things that we've seen and know and hear and watch,
you know, from their relationship.
And, you know, I think when you see how hard that hit,
not only Richard, but everybody at RCR because it was such a backbone of what they did.
You know, I think that when you see that eight painted in the infield and they talk about
Kyle helping design the number and Richard hiring Kyle
and then winning a few races together to start the season.
Richard and Kyle are very similar.
Like they're both really, really competitive people that just want to win and want to succeed.
But, you know, I think for Richard, you know, it's just he's got to feel like,
man, this is happening to us all over again,
trying to get our company back on track and do the things that it takes.
And now we have to go and do this all over again.
And, you know, but Richard's a man.
You see him standing next to Samantha and Braxton supporting them.
And as bad as he hurts, he's going to put them first.
And that's, you know, who and what Richard Childress is.
He's the guy that's going to make sure that everybody else is taken care of before he is.
And sometimes, you know, that is not the right thing to do,
but that's the way he's going to do it.
And there's not a better person out there than Richard Childress.
And unfortunately, he's having to deal with this all again.
Sunday was definitely a very moving display of strength from the family,
from the teams, from everyone involved in the situation.
So as I mentioned, today we want to honor Kyle's legacy, the competitor that he was.
We all know what a fierce competitor that he was.
And Kevin, you and him had a friendly and sometimes not so friendly rivalry over the years.
You raced each other 933 times in the top series.
So what did you enjoy about racing against Kyle Busch
and how did you guys kind of make each other better?
Yeah, it was definitely a, it was an up and down relationship.
I think, you know, for me, the thing that I enjoyed the most was beating Kyle.
And the thing that I know that he enjoyed the most was beating me.
And it was a cat and mouse game for a long time because there was,
there were truck teams and businesses and things involved.
You know, it was more than just the driving part.
And, you know, I think when you look back, that rivalry really fired off back in 2005
at Dover in a Busch series race when Kyle was just getting started.
But the thing about Kyle is Kyle was so good and so fast,
you could never let him think that he had the upper hand from a mental standpoint.
And it was, it was a war, literally a war as we went through the years.
And that carried over to, you know, to Hornaday or whoever was driving Kyle's trucks
and that carried to Joe Gibbs Racing and RCR and on to Stuart Haas Racing.
And so, you know, I think that, but that intensity is what drives you.
And when you have somebody that is that good and just as intense as you
and not going to back down, you have to, to fight that fight.
And that's what we did for a long, long time.
And probably the best thing that happened in my career was I had a competitor that
wouldn't back down like Kyle did and it made us better from, made me a better driver,
made me a better owner, teammate.
All the things that comes with it from that competition, it made you better in every level.
But there wasn't anything more intense than that rivalry.
That wasn't fake. There was nothing fake about it.
Now, you might have tried to exaggerate it and make it into something bigger than what it was.
But in time, that got better.
And I think that as I grew up, Kyle was much younger than me,
but even as I grew up as an adult and was able to, I had Keelan and was able to become a parent
and see things a little bit differently, you became very guarded as to,
okay, I need to be nicer to this guy, but I also don't want him to beat me.
And I don't want him to think that I'm being too nice to him.
So, but that changed with time.
And we had great conversations about our kids and race teams and all the different things
that we were, we had in common as far as things that we did in the racing world.
And in the end, all we talked about was Keelan or Braxton and what we were going to do
and how they were going to go forward, what he was doing, what I was doing.
And so Kyle always had a lot of questions and we had good conversations.
And even when we were at war, he would refer to me as Dick and I would refer to him as Dick.
And that was how we engaged with each other.
Because it was just like one of those things like,
hey, we're not really going to talk about what happened last week.
If I have to, I'm going to knock you out of the way.
And if you have to, you're going to knock me out of the way.
So we'll just talk about something else.
And so we never even really engaged in the competitive subjects of things that happen.
Listening to a lot of the drivers speaking throughout the course of the week
and a lot of people saying that Kyle just kind of challenged them to be better.
And I will say from my own perspective on the media side,
when I would see his name on my list as one of my assignments for the weekend,
you just knew, okay, you better be on your A game.
You better be buttoned up.
Do not ask a single quote unquote softball or stupid question.
You know what I mean?
Because I felt like over the years, I did a lot of big interviews with him
after he won his championship in 2019.
I did a lot of things with Samantha and Kyle together in their home.
You know, I saw a lot of different sides,
but I always felt like I was in the presence of greatness when I went to interview him.
And so I wanted to really rise to the occasion in those moments when I was interviewing him
because similar to Kevin, there's certain people that just make you elevate your game.
You know, I think Kevin and Kyle are very similar in that sense.
And so that was just sort of his aura that he had for me as a media professional of really,
not that I don't do that with every driver interview, but when it came to Kyle,
like I just had this sense of, I didn't want to let him down.
Yeah.
If that makes sense.
Yeah.
And Kyle is so, he's so funny.
He is pretty funny.
People don't realize that.
So he's intense, but he's super smart.
And so like that just made you have to be
On your toes.
Smarter and on your toes too, you know.
And I think Kevin, one of the things that really resonated with me over the past couple days is
when KBM was going on and when Kevin Harvick, Incorporated was going on, like at first,
KHA was the place as a young driver you wanted to go race for.
You wanted to race for Kevin Harvick and Delana Harvick because they had great equipment
and they were winning a winning environment.
And then KBM came along and then they started doing the same thing.
So now as a young racer, you had two teams that you looked at,
but you had to, you were picking one because one was Team Chevy and one was a Toyota team
and one was Kevin Harvick and one was Kyle Busch.
You couldn't, you couldn't decide, you couldn't be on both teams, right?
That was not, that was not something that was going to happen.
And watching you guys, like you build your empires from the ownership side and it carry
over to the driver, but really from the ownership side,
you mentioned on a tweet that Kyle called you about that, about building the team.
We've never talked about that before.
I would love to hear kind of a little bit about what that conversation was like
and was that pre-Kyle reckoned you at Dover or after?
You know what I mean?
Because that might have changed how you directed him.
Just, you know, want to make sure we know the timeline.
Yeah.
Well, 2005 in Dover, Kyle was barely old enough to think he wasn't ready to spend all his money yet
on a race team and, you know, I think, so, you know, Kyle was driving for Richie Waters
and I believe that's who the group was that he drove.
Billy Blue.
Before, yeah, Billy Blue, before he owned his own trucks and it finally got into a point
where it just wasn't at the expectations that Kyle wanted it to be weekend and week out
and he was obviously going to do the Toyota route.
We had the Chevrolet route and Toyota had come in to fund the teams to go out and race
on the racetrack on a week-to-week basis with development program, KBM, Kyle, all those things.
So he called me and said, hey, can you tell me how you run your team?
And so I brought him to my shop one day and I'm like, I mean, and this is right in the middle
of the heavy war.
And I'm like, you know what, you know, I'm going to bridge the guy a gap right here.
I'm going to let him come to my race shop and I'm going to give him everything that I have
and because that's how I approached it on my cars too.
Like if they want your setup, you just give them the whole setup because they won't believe
you anyway.
So I walked him through the whole shop and showed him everything, gave him all of our
budgets, gave him everything and he went back and started KBM and then turned around and
hired some of my people.
He must have been interviewing them while he was going through the shop that day.
But I think it's, you're exactly right.
And I think that at that time you had to pick a path.
You were either going KBM and Toyota or you were going KHI and Chevrolet.
There was no, you know, we'll do some here, there.
You were on one side of the other and that's how it was in the grandstands too.
You didn't sit on my side and root for Kyle Busch and you didn't sit on Kyle Busch's
side and root for Kevin Harvick.
That's just not how it worked.
But that is what made it great and that's what makes NASCAR racing great and that's
what makes sports great when you have two sides and we sat on those two sides and competed
but off the racetrack we also had fun and we had a good time and we had good conversations
and it took a long time to get to the point of actually being somewhat cordial
or the fact that you would even talk but it definitely got to that point by the end.
You referenced a few of the battles you guys had.
Are there any more very memorable on track moments over the years between you and Kyle
that come to mind, Kevin?
You know, I think that New Hampshire was fun for me in 2000, I believe it was 2018
where we raced and I moved him out of the way at the end and won the race.
We had a great race at Bristol.
I don't remember what year it was.
It might have been 20.
But we raced the whole last run as hard as we could go to get ourselves in victory lane
and raced side by side up the racetrack, bottom of the racetrack all over the place
but there were, if I really went back and figured it out there were a lot of times
that we raced against each other.
Some of the more memorable moments, I used to love when Hornaday would beat Kyle
because it would drive him absolutely mad.
He didn't like it and beat by me, but it drove him absolutely insane
when Hornaday would beat him on the racetrack and it actually drove him so crazy
that he wrecked Hornaday that year at Texas, but that's how it was.
When Kyle would start to get the upper hand and get comfortable,
I'd get back in the truck and start racing or we'd put more emphasis on what we needed to do
to try to catch up to the KBM trucks and Kyle and put our trucks to be better
and then Hornaday would start beating him and then Kyle would develop something new
and then they'd start beating us and so it was always this back and forth with the truck stuff
that really bled over into the Bush Series races and O'Reilly races on Saturday
and all the way into the Cup Series on Sundays.
So a lot of hard battles and a few exceptional ones.
Great battles for the fans to see over the years.
I've been watching obviously the posts you've been putting on Twitter, Kevin,
some of the reflections on Kyle Bush.
One was a Bush trip in Las Vegas.
Well, you guys were all there.
What happened in Las Vegas?
Can you just explain the backstory to this?
Well, I can explain to this.
Kyle was a lightweight.
Let's just put it like that.
He liked to have fun though, but he was a lightweight.
Kyle loved to have fun and he's a very lighthearted, enjoyable person
and after two beers Kyle is not, Kyle's really having fun
and he had more than two that night.
And the next day he had a rough time and it was media day,
the next day when we were in Vegas that year for, I think it was for the championship
or playoffs, I don't remember.
I think it was for the championship.
But anyway, he had to do media and he was right behind me in the rotation.
So every room that I went to, Kyle had to come into the room next
and eventually we got him a pillow and he would just lay on the floor until I was done
and at one point was under the table.
But yeah, he was definitely a lightweight
and he was always the entertainment of the party when that happened.
I don't know if you guys saw it, but Daniel Suarez after he won
had told a story about Kyle being family
and Kyle extending an olive branch to help Daniel get to the Cup Series
because Daniel was in a weird spot.
He was kind of outside looking in being a young guy and not being able to get it done
and then he drove for KBM and it kind of refired it.
Well, he told a story about when Kyle got in some trouble in Cancun.
Yes, we know this story.
If you don't know the story, you can go look it up,
but he got in some trouble in Cancun.
Well, who would you call if you were in Cancun in trouble?
Someone who might be from that area.
Daniel Suarez got the phone call from Samantha and had to get his buddy out
and I just think about that.
I think Kyle Bush is, Kevin, I think Kyle Bush is going to be
hands on one of the most misunderstood athletes, drivers, whatever you may be
of all time because there was a guy that the fans saw with the helmet on.
That leaned into the villain.
That leaned into the villain was Rowdy from Days of Thunder.
That was the guy. He was that.
But with the helmet off, he was a family guy.
He was a friend. He was like we all just talking about how much fun he was.
And I think this time, Kevin, I think it's really important for everybody
to get those memories and to understand that it wasn't just competition.
It was friends and family at the same time too.
Yeah, I think that I was just laying there on the couch the other night
and I'm like, I saw a fan question about Kyle and I'm like,
you know what, I think it would be healthy for these people to hear some of these stories
and have some of these things out there because Will Buxton and I
were doing our speed broadcast here in Indy earlier.
We were talking about Scott Dixon getting into the Hall of Fame while he's still driving,
which I still don't agree with.
But I think it's very interesting for him to talk about why.
And that is because you get to know them and you get to hear these stories
and you get to hear who that person is, not who that competitor is.
And I'm with you guys. I knew the competitor really well
and for a long time didn't really want to get to know the person.
But as time grew, you got to know the person and you got more comfortable
with that person to understand who they were and what they did
and actually enjoy it.
And then you started to get a lot more in common as we got older.
And I think it's like you said, being able to hear these stories outside of the race car
where all the guy wanted to do was win and didn't care.
As Joe Gibbs said, he was a locomotive coming down the hill
and if you weren't in the way, he was going to run you over.
And if you weren't on the train, he didn't care.
And that's how you have to be.
And there isn't anybody else that I raced against
aside from maybe Tony Stewart,
but Tony was always the guy you could talk to off the racetrack and figure it out.
Kyle was just somebody that you didn't want to figure it out.
We'd just keep racking or we'd go race hard or he'd just beat you
or whatever the case was.
And he's just one of those guys that always pushed it
because he was willing to do whatever it took to win.
And that was what made it fun to race against him.
We were all very fortunate to watch Kyle Busch showcase his talents.
He will forever be known as one of the greatest race car drivers in the history of sports.
Kyle Busch gone too soon, but his legacy will certainly live on.
He'll be greatly missed.
So, Kevin, the race on Sunday, the Coca-Cola 600.
This was quite an eventful weekend, battling the weather all weekend for the other series.
But somehow for a cup, the sun came out, shined down.
They were able to get the race, obviously.
Daniel Suarez ended up being victorious.
This is a great story as someone that Kyle Busch actually did help his career over the years
and helped him get to where he is today.
They had to overcome quite a bit of adversity, though, to make his third career win happen.
What did you see out of that team with not giving up throughout the course of Sunday?
Well, I definitely didn't have that on my bingo card as far as being the race winner.
But it was a gutsy call at the end.
I think when you look at the call and then you have the couple restarts there at the end of the race,
Daniel did a great job.
Up on top of that pit box is where that opportunity started.
And then the rain coming in to end this race.
And what looked like, I kept thinking it was going to blow right through and maybe not hit him.
And then it started to rain a little bit.
And then that cell kind of grew and went over the top of the racetrack.
But what a year for Daniel Suarez.
And I think that, like I said earlier, he did a great job to win that race
and keep that track position to keep himself as the leader until the end of the race.
And I think for all of us at the beginning of the year,
we had a lot of questions about going from track house to Spire,
thinking that it was at best a lateral move.
Well, we were all wrong.
At best was way better than what we thought it was going to be with Spire getting better.
And just the chemistry and everything that goes with the seven car and Daniel
and his crew chief and the whole organization working together better.
It's just been a way better situation for Daniel to fit into and he succeeded.
And now here they are in victory lane.
Seems like definitely the right move for Daniel was making that switch to Spire.
But we heard Daniel talking about every win is special,
but this one obviously will probably hold a special place in his career and his heart forever.
Yeah.
No, he talked about obviously, you know, all this stuff with Kyle and Daniel Suarez.
I don't know, man.
Kevin, I feel like when it hits back is against the wall when he really needs it.
Like if he's in the offer, if he's in the spot to win a race,
it's it, which isn't a ton, right?
Not in the last closing last, but it seems like when he is,
he is right there if he doesn't pull it off.
Like we've seen it at Atlanta and we've seen it at some other tracks.
Against Kyle Busch.
Yeah, against Kyle Busch, right?
Like he's able to get it done.
And you know, I texted him, I texted Ryan Sparks, his crew chief like,
bro, just remember everyone counted y'all out.
And so keep whatever you guys are doing,
whatever magic Spire has right now, they just need to keep it, keep it going.
And I think it does start with, honestly, we've talked about on the show a little bit.
I think it starts with Michael McDowell being a good cornerstone piece,
someone you can rely on.
And then obviously Carson Holsofar,
just being the raw talent and speed that he is.
And then now Daniel's starting to find his role in there and being really consistent.
So I interviewed Joey Logano, who is a Coca-Cola racing driver.
And so is Daniel Suarez.
And Joey was talking to me this weekend about how it's a really big deal
for someone from the Coke family to win the Coca-Cola 600.
Like, like it circled on the calendar.
If you're in the family, one of us has to win this race.
In a weird way, they're like teammates in that area, but only in that one area.
And Daniel Suarez was able to do that.
So it was a huge win for, for multiple reasons.
And he talked about his family.
This is Kevin.
I don't know if you saw this is the only race of the year that he has his entire family at.
His mom, his sisters, everybody gets to be there.
And so for him to be able to win his last win, right?
It was at Mexico in the O'Reilly series with everybody.
And now he gets to win with his family here in the States.
Super cool.
I saw him hitting the taco pinata to celebrate.
I love that, of course.
Other solid finishers of the group.
Kevin, Joe Gibbs racing with Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs all finishing in the top six.
They have to be feeling very confident, leaving one of the toughest and longest races of the year.
Yeah, the Toyotas had him covered.
And Kyle Larson kind of ran in the middle of him when he'd beat him out on a pit stop or get a better restart.
But you look at the four Joe Gibbs cars and Tyler Redick and they were pretty much the class of the field.
But it's not always about having the fastest car.
Sometimes it's about being in the right place at the right time.
But yeah, I agree with you guys on a mile and a half or really anywhere at this point.
But on the mile and a half, for sure, if you're driving a Toyota, you're feeling pretty good about it.
Certainly they'll be feeling good about it.
Heading into Nashville this weekend.
That's where we're headed next, if you can believe it.
We're already headed off to Tennessee.
So who's experiencing the most pressure as we go to Music City USA this weekend, Kevin?
Well, I think that the 19 car of Chase Briscoe is probably, you know, he made another mistake this weekend, got himself wrecked.
You know, I think that, you know, he and Ross Chastain and Joey Logano, all those guys that are, you know, we're clipping them off.
One race at a time right here, you're running out of races to get yourself in a position that is a good spot to win the championship.
Luckily, he scored, you know, more stage points than most yesterday and kind of protected himself from that wreck at the end.
But, you know, those guys, those three guys got to get going or they're going to be in big trouble.
Yeah, the points, you and I were looking at it just a bit ago before we came on air and it's getting interesting.
Who are you watching?
I don't think like this driver and this team is in a good spot in points.
They were pretty consistent again this weekend, but the 12 of Ryan Blaney, like they're not under pressure, but they need to keep capitalizing on it.
And that's the hard part, is they're capitalizing on what they're doing.
They don't have like the total raw speed, so they need to find a little bit of raw speed as we enter the dog days of summer.
And I think that they, they will.
They just been there and been able to do it.
But I mean, honestly, Chase Briscoe, they are fast, like Kevin just said.
And obviously I picked him to win this race and they had a great shot at winning.
They can't, they have no more Mullergans, I don't think, to do this thing.
I need to stop picking Ryan Blaney.
Yeah, I think that when you talk about Ryan Blaney, they might have a week where they get it all together,
but unless they fix their pit crew, they're in big trouble.
Yes, we did see that rear his head once again on Sunday at Charlotte.
Okay, so how tough is Nashville?
What are some of the things we got to watch as it pertains to that racetrack, Kevin?
Yeah, very similar to Dover.
They're going to put the, you know, a resin all over the racetrack, I would assume, to make the groove.
Do what it did in Dover in Nashville so that it takes rubber and does all those things.
Very finicky racetrack though.
You're going to see that track rubber up very rough in turns three and four down there
when you start running the top of the racetrack.
So you've got to be somewhat aware of where your bump stops are set
and how and where the car is pointed at that part of the corner, but can't overdrive it.
You've got to be good on the exit of the corner.
You can't charge the corners extra hard because you've got to be able to be in the throttle from the center of the corner out.
So fun racetrack.
Glad we're back in Nashville and, you know, that concrete service creates quite the challenge as you go throughout the weekend.
Sunday night race.
So keep an eye on that.
Okay, time now for the Sips.
I know you have a lot of special ones on tap today, Mamba.
Yeah, we're going to put my KB hat on here.
We're going to do these.
We're going to honor Kyle Busch with these Sips today because we know that he liked to get in on the tequila.
So we're going to start with this one.
One of my favorite, one of my favorite moments is where did KFB come from?
Let's hear this clip.
Not even close.
Long ways to go.
I can't believe you could still drive.
How did you drive that after hitting the grass like that and then that splitter?
KFB.
It was classic.
It was so quick.
It was like, how did you do that?
KFB, man.
I'm just the guy.
I'm just him.
Three simple letters.
KFB.
You know.
I love that.
I love that one.
One of the other ones that I also really enjoyed was Daytona.
Kevin, I think you're actually in the middle of this one.
And I think this is where like Wild Thing and DW really locked that in.
He gets turned right here.
And that should have been, Kevin, that should have been a massive pile up for everybody involved and somehow it was not.
Yeah.
That was one of the best saves I've ever seen right there.
But yeah, he just, everybody thought he had spun out and wrecked.
Yeah.
I am in that race and I thought he was going to wreck as well.
But he never did and we never had a caution.
And then we kept rolling.
One of my other favorite clips is Kyle, I think he was leaving the racetrack.
This is legendary.
Yeah.
There's a fan that noticed him or he noticed a fan, honestly.
I think we had the clip right here.
Do it.
Roll down your window.
Maybe she can't.
Hey.
What's up?
Oh my God!
Oh my God!
What are you doing?
How are you?
Freaking love.
Yes.
I love you.
Oh my God!
Oh my God!
Oh my God!
Oh my God!
I'm sorry.
Oh my God!
Thank you.
Good to see you guys.
There's a dog barking in the background and screaming.
That is so amazing, right?
Yeah.
I just love it.
But that speaks to his character, who he was.
Someone noticed that Kyle Bush fan and he's like, hey, watch this.
Yeah.
I think that was super cool.
And then I made one, I made a video over the weekend, right?
Just to, because we did driver intros.
When I did driver intros, there's a lot of moments with Kyle.
And so we have one of those too, which is pretty cool.
Yeah, we're looking pretty good.
Yeah, in the handshake, you guys are like...
Love it.
Love it.
What did I just say?
Yeah, that's the...
Yeah, that's the...
You know, that's the rowdy bush.
I like this quote, which he said,
those who want to lead the orchestra must be willing to turn their back on the crowd.
What do you mean by that?
You have to be okay with being misunderstood.
You have to be okay with being rejected.
You have to be okay with not thinking like the 99%.
If you want to lead, you have to lead from a place of confidence.
And the worst thing you want to be is be a follower that follows followers.
The worst thing that you can be.
A sheep that follows sheep.
I've watched that clip or that video so many times.
And the premise of it is Kyle didn't want to do the...
Our handshake, he didn't want to do it so the fans could see it.
Because a lot of them were booing him all the time anyway.
So they're already salty.
So it was me dropping...
That's what the...
Yeah, it was dropping the salt on the new store and the salt over his shoulder.
That's cool.
Now that we know the backstory on what the whole movement was.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So mom and social sips dedicated to a one KFB Kyle Rowdy Bush.
Very nice.
I like that.
Okay guys, time now for our last call and we would be remiss.
Kevin, if we didn't officially congratulate you on being elected to the Nascar Hall of Fame for the class of 2027.
It was announced obviously last Tuesday.
Kevin, Jeff Burton and Larry Phillips will be in the class.
Congratulations.
You are so very deserving.
Well, thank you.
It's quite an honor to officially be elected into the Hall of Fame.
And I think when you walk around and as I did last week and just look at everything and see the history and everything that goes with it.
It's kind of like the icing on the cake.
All right, you did pretty good.
So you need to enjoy this as you go through this process.
So pretty cool moment.
Well, I look forward to hearing all the stories from the course of your career.
We'll be doing that for our Thursday episode, a special on Kevin Harvick himself.
Very quickly, before we finish the points, guys, we got to make some selections for Nashville.
Kevin, would you do the honors of starting first who you believe could be victorious?
Yeah.
Well, I'm going to stick with my horse and that's the 11.
I don't want that 11 till it dies.
Honestly, though, I had to laugh because I was like, this man has like psychic abilities because every week he's been.
He didn't win this week though.
He didn't, but he did pick up points.
So did I. You did not.
Well, that's because my guy threw it all away.
Like when we're going to go ahead.
Huh?
Go ahead.
Don't show it.
Pick, loser.
All right, I'm going.
Hey, hey, hey, I'm going with, I need to see Belle.
We're going with long Christopher Bell this week.
I'm staying in the Toyota family.
I'm going to Tyler Reddick.
Gets it done out there in Nashville Music City.
Is Michael Jordan going to be there?
I would imagine.
If he's not there, he probably won't win.
Hey, you know, you guys, you guys know what, what the best part about this is.
Like I can see everything from the screen now.
And when Mamba picks up his cup and I'm looking right at the screen, it's amazing.
Is it?
Yeah.
It's just.
Yeah.
That's my favorite right there.
If you're listening, my cup is Kevin Harvick's face.
So it's a tough one.
There you go.
Well, we appreciate all the closers joining us on this Monday edition.
Make sure you subscribe on our YouTube channel for us at Harvick Happy Pod.
Kevin, the safest of travels back from Indianapolis.
We look forward to having you back in studio.
We will see all the closers after a Sunday race in Nashville.
Yeah.
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