Charlotte is one of the biggest places in the U.S. for stock-car racing. When people talk about “being in Charlotte,” they usually mean the NASCAR world and its events there.
NASCAR is the big U.S. stock-car racing series. The hosts are saying the guest has been influential there, and also has experience in Indy-style racing.
“Indy” usually means IndyCar racing and the Indianapolis 500 scene. Here, it’s used to show the guest has experience in both NASCAR and Indy-style racing.
Mario Andretti is one of the most famous race car drivers in history. Mentioning him emphasizes that what happened was shocking even to top people in racing.
“Cup wins” refers to victories in NASCAR’s Cup Series, the top national series. The segment compares Kyle Busch’s total wins across national series to Richard Petty’s famous Cup win record, framing Busch’s overall dominance.
The Truck Series is NASCAR’s league where the races are run with pickup trucks. The hosts are pointing out that Kyle Busch was the most successful driver in that series.
Dale Earnhardt was one of NASCAR’s biggest legends. People bring him up when they want to talk about memorable moments and a larger-than-life racing personality.
A brake check is when a driver suddenly hits the brakes to mess with the car behind them. In racing, it can easily lead to a wreck or ruin someone’s run.
“Moved up high” means going toward the outer part of the track. “Lifted” means taking your foot off the gas a bit to slow down and keep control before continuing.
Topic
Monday night racing league
They’re talking about a racing league that runs on Monday nights. Kyle Busch would show up for a few races toward the end of the COVID era.
Topic
big eye racing league
They mention a league name for Monday-night racing. The exact organization isn’t clearly identified in the transcript, but it’s where Kyle Busch would make guest appearances.
Kyle Busch is a famous NASCAR race driver. The hosts are talking about how his passing affected the NASCAR community and how people reacted right away.
Talladega is a famous NASCAR race track. The host says Kyle Busch visited there for a press event.
Topic
big trial with 2311
The speaker mentions a major NASCAR-related “trial” involving “2311.” The exact details aren’t explained here, so it sounds like a big event that changed things recently.
The HANS device is a safety strap system used in racing. It helps keep the driver’s head from snapping forward in a crash, which can protect the neck and reduce serious injury.
Felix Rosenqvist is a professional race car driver who competes in IndyCar. In this segment, he’s credited with winning a very close finish at the Indy 500.
Person
David Maluchus
This is the other driver mentioned in that close Indy 500 finish. The name in the transcript is a bit unclear, but the point is that he was the one Rosenqvist beat.
Pit road is the area beside the track where teams work on the cars during the race. It’s also where a lot of the action and updates happen between race moments.
Denny Hamlin is a NASCAR driver, and his name here is used to illustrate the kinds of storylines and rivalries fans were watching during the race. The segment is connecting the emotional rhythm of racing to what people were talking about on pit road.
A restart is when the race starts moving at full speed again after a slowdown. The final restarts are the last ones before the finish, so drivers push hard and things can get intense.
A caution means drivers slow down and follow the safety rules because something is unsafe on track. Here it’s specifically because the weather made conditions worse.
A “double” here means trying to pull off two big wins or goals back-to-back in the same stretch of racing. It’s a tough challenge because it depends on timing, track conditions, and how the car and driver perform across multiple races. The host is saying Catherine Leg tried it and it didn’t go exactly as planned.
Catherine Leg is the driver the hosts are talking about. They say she was the first woman to try a very challenging NASCAR goal (“the double”), and it didn’t work out the way she hoped. They still give her credit because she went for it despite tough circumstances.
The “Coke 600” is a well-known NASCAR race. In this conversation, it’s brought up to explain that Catherine Leg had another tough moment in addition to the double-attempt. It’s basically a named race event the hosts are referencing.
Person
Ryan Hunter-A
Ryan Hunter-A is mentioned as the driver who lost control (“got loose”). The host says Catherine Leg wasn’t the one who caused the problem—she got caught up in what happened. It’s an example of how racing incidents can affect other drivers fast.
Brand
Racer magazine
“Racer magazine” is a magazine that covers racing. The guest mentions her work appears there too, not just on NASCAR’s website. It’s part of the places listeners can find her writing.
Amazon is an online store. The guest says you can get her book there. It’s just where to buy the book mentioned in the episode.
LIVE
We all knew the driver. We knew the polarizing, uncompromising force of nature that was rowdy.
We knew the historic 234 wins, the two cup championships, and the absolute refusal to
settle for anything less than first. But when the fire suit came off and the noise of the grandstands
faded into silence, a completely different man emerged. Tonight we remember the son and the
brother, raised to love the sport by his father Tom and his mother Gay. He was part of a legendary
racing brotherhood. Together with Kurt, they pushed each other from the local bull rings of Las
Vegas all the way to the pinnacle of NASCAR. A relentless, fiercely competitive bond built
on a lifetime of shared dreams. We remember the devoted husband. Alongside his wife Samantha,
Kyle didn't just share a life. He shared a mission. For 12 deeply personal years,
they fought a grueling battle with infertility, turning their own private heartbreak into a
legacy of profound empathy. Through the bundle of joy fund, Kyle quietly helped raise over $2
million. Away from the cameras, he walked alongside couples who felt entirely broken,
giving dozens of families the literal gift of life when all they thought was that hope
was lost. And above every trophy he ever lifted, his greatest joy was being a dad.
Whether he was turning wrenches on Brexton's carts or holding Lennox close,
that legendary track intensity completely melted away into pure devotion.
On the track, he gave us an icon. But off it, he gave his family and so many others his whole heart.
Rest easy, Kyle. Tonight, our thoughts are with Samantha, Brexton, Lennox, Tom, Gay, Kurt, and the entire Bush family.
Beautifully put together, Chris. Thank you so much. Welcome on in, ladies and gentlemen,
to a tough episode of the Front Stretch happy hour program. I am your host, Mr. Brian Nolan.
It's been a very, very challenging week here in the motorsports community. So this will,
the show is going to be a little bit different. We're not going to have our normal segments,
but the show will continue to go on. So without further ado, let's bring in my co-host,
compadre Michael Massey, who's battling under the weather. I don't think you're going to
talk as much today, my friend, but you were in Charlotte, so we wanted to get your perspective.
So thank you for coming on, my friend. How are you feeling? And then just how are you doing?
Yeah, I'm doing good. Obviously, if you hear me talk, I don't sound great. I promise I feel better
than I sound. But yeah, good weekend in Charlotte. But, you know, obviously it was a very emotional
weekend and filled with rain as well. So just happy to have gotten it over with and we can
move on together. And I will tell you that that scene Sunday night in Charlotte, you know, where
they brought out Samantha and Braxton legs was just a beautiful, beautiful scene. One of the
most beautiful pre-race ceremonies I've ever witnessed. So yeah, I don't know what else to
say about that. But yeah, I'm not bringing, no, no, well said, Massey. Well said. I'm a
my other co is filling in for Dalton Hopkins. Dalton is away right now. But he'll be back.
This guy was with me and Andy doing his other job. But we did get to see each other and share some.
So Mr. Tom Bulls, we brought you up. Thank you for coming on and happy that you're here. But
this will be a tough show. Yeah, thanks for having me. It was very, very tough. And,
you know, Indy was just a wild place to be as somebody that's still so very connected to
NASCAR because it was this little pocket, right? There were moments where not that you forgot
about it, but you know, the race ended up being the best race, in my opinion, in Indy 500 history,
70 lead changes, super exciting. There was something that was just a distraction and you
were you weren't actually in Charlotte. So you were far enough away where you can kind of put
a wall up for a little bit. I know for me personally, it was like, you know, sometimes you just have
to like hunker down and charge through what you're charged to do, right? And, you know, we had an
amazing weekend in Indy. And, you know, I get out of Indy and, you know, get out of like the
after party that I was in after, you know, Fox finishes their production and, you know, talk
to a couple of people post Indy 500, get back and everybody's hitting me up about the Samantha
scene and about what our community on NASCAR and Charlotte did. And, you know, just watching that
and just crying. I just I just remember crying, crying because it was just, you know, in Indy,
you felt disconnected in some ways, even though everybody was connected. And there was like a
little bit of light that could come in. And, you know, Massey, I really feel for you having
been in Charlotte because from everybody I've talked to down there, it was just shades of
down and hard 25 years ago and just one of the toughest weekends for anybody associated
with the sport that was in the garage. Just a really, really, really tough weekend. And,
you know, I know we're going to take some time tonight to keep remembering and celebrating,
you know, the person that Kyle was. Yeah, we're going to bring out our guest
college. She has been one of the most she's one of the pioneers, I should say, in the NASCAR
world. But she was also an Indy. So we get both sides of the perspective from her. The lovely
Holly Kane joins us. Holly, I wish this was under better better circumstances. This will be a little
bit of a sad show. But thank you so much for coming on. And just how are you on this Tuesday?
Well, thank you for having me. I'm grateful that you're allowing me to share, unfortunately,
both the experience, but also hoping to, you know, illuminate his career. As you guys have
mentioned, it really was just unbelievable. And being at the Indy 500 and speaking to people like
Mario Andretti and Roger Penske about what had happened, the looks on their faces as they
spoke about the shock. In addition, obviously to how highly they thought of Kyle, but just the
shock of it all was just, you know, I've explained to friends of mine, you know, that enjoy watching
racing. This is a whole different thing. This isn't as if we lost a driver in the middle of a race
doing something, you know, that a lot of people, you know, a daring profession. This was something
that happened, you know, not in the race car. And it kind of creates a whole different amount
of sadness and in different ways for people to take it in. And it's just heartbreaking beyond.
And as you mentioned, watching Samantha and Lennox and Brexton standing there at Charlotte,
I didn't expect that they were going to be there. And so then to see that was
just, you know, so much. And then I, you know, sweet Owen Larson, Kyle Larson.
Oh, my goodness. Yes.
And hugging Brexton. And, you know, the two of them, all four of them, if you want to talk about
Kyle and Owen and then the other and Kyle Bush and his son, Brexton, they, you know,
spent a lot of time at racetracks together with the boys coming up. So it just was
heartbreaking, heart-tugging, just really difficult weekend.
That Owen Larson clip, man, that got me. That truly got me. I mean, Brexton, that is one,
11 awesome kid. And he's having to grow up so fast. But he's doing an awesome job. So
let's dive on in into his father and just, I mean, Holly, we'll start with you. You saw his
entire career. What are some of your favorite memories of him? I mean, you saw him just dominate
what at the time was the nationwide series. Sometimes you saw him win all three races
in the same weekend. Just what are some of your favorite memories from his career?
Well, one of the things that I always think about is that he kind of,
he came right in and turned heads. You know, I mean, he was having success as a teenager.
You know, when you get NASCAR to rewrite a rule because you're so good,
that's when you know things are going well for you. And I always kind of think back to those very
early days. And as his career progressed, one of the things, and obviously we've all written
a lot about him, one of the things that I always thought was interesting was the fact that he got
all of these national series wins and he ultimately exceeded Richard Petty's 200 cup wins,
if you want to count all the national series wins. But to be the winningest driver in the
truck series, to be the winningest driver in what's now the O'Reilly Auto Parts series,
that is not easy. And he's not the first cup driver to go in and just tear it up in those
series either. But he did it better than anybody else, right? So just his natural talent was,
you know, otherworldly, it was, it was absolutely, we always, I think we tend to
call people the greatest or say they're great when maybe they really aren't. But I think you
could make an argument that Kyle's on that very short list of genuinely being great. And if you
let me just add, the thing that I always kind of liked about Kyle was he had this, you know,
fierce reputation, this, you know, dare I say smart alec, you know, when he was competing.
But he was actually a big softy behind the scenes. And I used to just love watching him do the videos
with Samantha that they would post on social media before they had kids. And then once they had kids,
one of the very last videos he posted is him dancing and twirling around with Lennox
for her birthday. And he was even wearing a pink hat with ears on it.
That's what I really think about Kyle. I think about those times away from the track, which
in my heart of hearts, will ultimately be what his family cares about most.
Tom, you worked for ESPN. So you got to see Kyle up close for a few years. What stood out to you,
just whether it was his racecraft, just the way he went about himself, just what stood out to you
seeing Kyle all those years?
So I agree with Holly that Kyle was just a total softy behind the scenes. But I think it also
came from hardened experience, right? I think there were two moments that stood out to me
in Kyle's career that ultimately changed him for the better in each case. And the first one was,
I haven't seen it talked about that much. He spent his first couple of years at Hendrick
and had some success, but also was still rough around the edges. And when Dale Earnhardt Jr.
became available and Hendrick wanted to move him over to his team, he took out Kyle Busch to
bring Dale Jr. in. And Kyle Busch still got an amazing opportunity with Joe Gibbs Racing,
but that lit a fire under him. That absolutely lit a fire under him. The top team in motorsports
saying, you know what, we're going to take somebody else over you. And I think he turned it into
one of his best seasons in 2008. And I think it supercharged his career at Joe Gibbs Racing.
And I think that was a moment where he was still hard around the edges then, but I think he grew
exponentially from that moment and he learned through that moment. I think he was somebody that
continually learned throughout his career. And, you know, I think of being at Daytona in 2015
and him getting hurt being replaced before that 500 and, you know,
injuries to both legs, both feet. How was he going to be when he got back, right? And another
indication and this is what the greats do. It lit a fire under him. He came back and he won the
championship and began a five year stretch where he won two titles, almost 30 races, but also matured,
became a family man with Brexton being born and just really came into his own. I feel like, you
know, went from somebody that was really hard around the edges to a veteran that was really,
truly respected in that in the sport. And, you know, I think the greats in the moments when
they're most challenged is where they rise to the occasion. And I think that's where you could always
say with Kyle, Hey, you know, he learned and grew from the obstacles that came his way. And,
you know, had a lot of fun doing it too. And I think it was great to see Kevin Harvick talking
about some stories, Ryan Blaney talking about some stories where Kyle was fun behind the scenes. He
was a, he was a softy, but he also could have fun. And, you know, he won't be remembered
as one of the greatest who have ever, you know, lived behind the wheel on this sport and deservedly
so.
Kyle changed for the better. And he kind of just became a different person when he met Samantha
and had Brexton had Lennox and the progression and just the evolution of him changing was really
awesome to see because like Tom was saying, he was brash. He was tough. He had that persona of,
yeah, I'm the bad guy in wrestling, I'm the heel. And now we see all these tributes and
you see Brexton with them, you see him with Lennox, you see them, the four of them, just the
progression that we saw from him from this, this cocky and brash guy to what kind of what Holly
said. He was, he was a softy. It's really cool to see. And I think that's what I will miss the most.
Honestly, what I'm going to miss the most is him and Brexton racing because I think that one of his
main goals was for him to race Brexton in the truck series. And now he's not going to be able to do it.
And that just truly breaks my heart. Yeah, I remember him talking about how he had a plan laid
out to where, you know, he would run for a truck championship, then like him and Brexton would
split a truck or something like that. Eventually he would just retire. It would be Brexton's truck.
But yeah, it's sad we'll never get to see that. You talk about that, that transformation though.
I think about the early days and there were some moments where he rubbed people the wrong way,
but it's the same kind of things like you look back at like Dale Earnhardt in his career.
He had those moments too, where it's just a little different things like wrecking Ron Hornaday
in the truck race or smashing the guitar at Nashville after he won.
Even things like he wins the Chicagoland and that duel with Kyle Larson,
and he gets out and he's wiping the tears off his eyes. Just these like truly iconic moments that
showed how much of a showman he was. Like he knew like it was basically like this character that he
took on the rowdy character. And it was just fun to watch him be that like one example. I remember
William Byron, he'd knocked William Byron out of the way at Watkins Klan 2019, I want to say.
Byron goes up to try to get payback on him. He break checks him while putting his middle finger out
the window and just ruins Byron's day. Like what a clever move. But at the same time, like in addition
to that showmanship, he, like you said, he was also a really kindhearted person. You could tell
I really loved his kids. He loved the other drivers too. You look at, they took a picture of all the
guys that come through Cowboys Motorsports. There was 10 drivers that were in the cup field
this past Sunday. We're KBM alum. Daniel Suarez specifically talked about what a big mentor he
was to him. So yeah, it's wild. Like just what a competitor, but also a kindhearted individual.
Another memory that just pops in my mind, speaking of the KBM days, is when Kyle was dominating the
truck race. And I believe it was the, when Eric Jones was going for the championship driving for
KBM. And like they reminded Kyle on the radio that Eric needed the point for leading a lap.
That was back in those days. And Kyle just like moved up high, lifted. Eric comes by,
leads a lap, and then Kyle just goes right back by him. It keeps on dominating the race. Like
that's how good the guy was in the truck series. So yeah, we'll truly, truly miss him. No one
would ever be another Kyle Busch. Massey, what was it like to race with him? You're the only one
here that ever raced with him. You know, for people that don't know, there's Monday night
racing league, big eye racing league that Kyle Busch would would pop in and race a couple races.
This was toward the end of the COVID era. What was he like?
I mean, he was, he was good. I mean, he didn't really like say much on the radio or anything
in there. Kyle just minded his own business. But like, I knew to just, if he was coming up behind
me, I would just move out of the way. This is eye racing. I'm not real racing. But yeah,
there was one moment where I guess he thought I should have let him go. And there's a picture out
there somewhere of me in the wall with him up on top of me from where he just cleared himself.
And yeah, but looking back, like what a thrill to be able to, even if it's just, you know,
a virtual racetrack to be able to share the racetrack with him was still pretty cool.
You always have that memory. Yeah, yeah, for sure. He went from
like 18th to first in one of those races to win one time. I remember they actually talked about it
on serious radio the next day. Like that was the biggest shout out that league ever got. So, yeah.
I got one more story and then we'll move on to Holly's topic. It was my second ever race covering
a NASCAR race in my career was 2019 in Fontana. And it was when, it was when that whole debacle
started on when like there was a timed qualifying and nobody went out except for Austin Dillon
and everybody was pissed. Everybody was so angry. And we had like this bullpen after,
so Kyle comes up. And so, you know, me, I'm just like, oh, I'm just going to ask him. I was like,
Kyle, just what, what happened? Why, what, what was the reasoning behind all that? He's like,
and so, you know, in typical Kyle, what do you think you're watching, weren't you? And I'm like,
well, you're the race car driver. How do we fix it? And he kind of looks back and he's like,
oh, and then, and then, you know, in typical Kyle, he goes back to the arrogant.
Well, we fixed it in trucks, didn't we? And then he just goes right past all of us.
And right there, I was like, damn, I kind of, I kind of went back and forth with Kyle Bush.
And I was like, maybe, maybe I could do this. So it's like that little thing. But it's just,
it's those memories like that, that, that will miss. And the little, it's just the little random,
those audio clips that Kyle will, I mean, you see those radio actives that in those M&M days,
I mean, he had the, just so many soundbites that we will, we will truly, truly just cherish. And
it's gonna, it's gonna be tough. Let's dive on into our second topic, Holly. Like I said, you've
been a, you've been in this sport forever and you cover Dale Earnhardt. Just, I just wanted to get
your thoughts on how NASCAR just, just comes together in times like this, because we saw that
emotional scene on Sunday with Sam and Richard Childress and then everybody behind them.
Just, just talk about NASCAR and just how it brings us all together.
Yeah. And, you know, it's, it's such a different time now too with social media and news of things
happening. Kyle's situation was, you know, once they announced that he had passed, it was immediately
out there. With Dale, obviously him passing away in an accident on the last lap of the
Daytona 500, I'm sure most people, all of you and certainly people watching and listening,
remember when Mike Helton came on and said, we've lost Dale Earnhardt. And it was just such two
different scenes at that time, you know, 25 years ago, and then this with Kyle. And
the heartbreak is the same. I mean, immediately on social media, I see people saying,
we need to get him in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I'm fortunate enough to be a voter and we just
had our voting a week ago, you know, for the new class. So I mean, I think that's something that's
going to come up. But the way that we take this in and the ideas we have to honor him are obviously
very much the same, but the shock of losing Kyle and the shock of losing Dale, both of these will be
times and moments that I'm sure we are going to always remember. It's, you just don't think it's
going to happen. And certainly, you know, the way it did with Dale on the Daytona 500 on the last
lap and then what happened with Kyle being ill, not even in a car. I mean, these are things that,
unfortunately, you're going to be part of the fabric of the sport for a very long time.
And looking back, and if you don't mind, I just wanted to add one other thing about Kyle
that kind of stood out. I recently, my co-author and I had a book come out, NASCAR Champions,
and Kyle was the driver that came and did a press conference with us in Talladega for 45
minutes on a stage in the infield. Oh, Massey has it. Oh, yes. That's awesome. Thank you. Well,
I'm honestly not, but what I wanted to tell you was, so Kyle is looking through the section
on him in this book, and I happen to write that chapter, but he's looking at the photographs
and he's pissed because he's like, why did you pick that one? I'm not even leading. Why would you
pick this one? Why would you talk about that race? I didn't even win that race, you know, of the
photographs. He was just absolutely, you know, giving it to us. And then when everything was
finished, he used the picture of him bleeding. Exactly. Well, I didn't pick pictures in all
fairness. And then after it's all done, we walk down and there's, you know, a huge crowd. This is
one of the main stages in Talladega outside. And we kneel down and Kyle is signing the book
for people. And then when we finish, he turns around and he has Herb and I autograph his book.
And I thought something is completely upside down. I thought he was joking. He goes, no,
will you sign this to me? And I thought, wow, Kyle Busch wants me to autograph his book.
That's awesome. It just, it meant a lot to me. And he's, and if I could just tell you one more
thing for the story in the book, I really led at the beginning with the fact that he was actually
a fantastic baseball player. That was what, if you had spoken to people when he was growing up,
he was so good. He played every position. One of these people that played first base picture,
you know, shortstop, whatever he needed to do. And for a long time, that's what he thought he was
going to do. He and Kurt are much farther apart in age. So it wasn't like necessarily Kurt was
racing and Kyle would just come and do it at the same time. It wasn't, it wasn't like that.
And so I'm doing this interview with him and he's talking to me and talking to me. And I,
I look and it's on the phone and it's been over an hour. And I'm like, oh goodness,
I've taken too much time. He goes, no, take as much as you want. He goes, this is great. I love
talking about this. He goes, I haven't talked about these early days in a long time. And I'm like,
all right, we can do that. So he was just a very generous heart. And that's, I guess, what I'm trying
to get at. And I think Tom, I was talking about this with people in Indy, why? I mean, we all,
we all have an end date in life. And for Dale Earnhardt, when he died, he saved so many lives
with the invention of the, of the Hans device. For Kyle, we, in my opinion, I still don't feel
like we have the why, why did this happen? And I mean, maybe it's for people to go to the doctor.
I don't know, but it's just, I feel like that's why there's such a void right now. And that's why
people are hurting so bad is because we don't know that reason of why. So much, I want to say.
And I will definitely go back to your question. But you know, Holly, the baseball story to me is
really interesting because I think one of the things for Kyle in his early years, right? He
comes on the scene and we're just a couple years past the death of Dale Earnhardt. And people were
desperate for the next Dale Earnhardt, right? They were desperate for somebody that they could
cling on to as somebody that, that matched Dale's intensity. But you know, Kyle was not Dale Earnhardt.
Kyle was his own man, right? And I think he was unfairly compared in the early years. And I think
it hurt him and it took a while for him to figure out his own way in the sport because, you know,
he was not a blue collar guy from North Carolina. He was this baseball player from Las Vegas that
came in and had his own style of things. And so, you know, I love that you told that story because
I think, you know, he needed to take a couple years to stand on his own two feet. And then once
he was able to figure that out, you know, he took off. The other thing I want to say before we get
to the why is I think people have their moment in leadership where you remember what they did
and how they did it. You know, we've had a lot of change in NASCAR in the five months since
the big trial with 2311, you know, with Steve O'Donnell now front and center as leader,
man, did he make a statement this weekend and man, did he show with leadership. It's all about
110%, you know, like his best moment to date as a leader of this sport and the way that he
conducted himself and showed what the sport is capable of. Everybody rallying around in the
community. Everybody should be really proud to have Steve O'Donnell as the leader coming out of
Charlotte. I think that was a big unifying moment and we'll see where it goes. The why, you know,
I talked with so many people at Indy about this. Dale Earnhardt as horrible as that death was and
as horrible as that situation was, you look back and the changes with the Hans device that came
from that, there's no doubt that it saved a lot of lives. And I would much rather have Dale Earnhardt
with us today. I think everybody would, but there was some good that came out of that.
I think we're still grappling with what good will come out of this, you know, when something
inexplicable happens like this, when something really hard to understand happens like this,
you know, Kyle is 41 years old. He's my age. This isn't supposed to happen to somebody that's 41
health-wise. This isn't supposed to be. And I think, you know, the fact that he just won were 10
days from winning a truck race. It's really, really hard, I think, for everyone to process and may
take a lot longer to process because it didn't happen in the car. And while we are so far removed,
very thankfully from some of the situations when I was a kid, when we would lose a lot more drivers
on the race track, I think mentally there's at least some level of preparation for that
with a race fan and with a race driver. There's risk, you know, there's risk every time they
go out on that track, but because it had nothing to do with racing. It had nothing to do with
what happened, you know, in the car or at least so it seems, you know, it's really, really hard.
And I think people are shocked and people are just wondering like how and this happens all
the time, right? You know, it's sad to say it, you know, people have heart attacks in their 40s
and people have stuff happen, but it's to have it happen so publicly to someone that's so famous
and such part of the fabric of the racing community is just, it's hard. It's really hard to process.
Massive, between India and Charlene just a little bit, but I mean,
maybe, I don't know where to go with this because like I was telling Tom, I was like,
they'll save so many lives, but we just don't know why. I think this leaves such a void.
I mean, just for you, Massive, where do we go from here?
Yeah, I mean, I don't know where to go from here. I think you just try to honor
Kyle any way you can. I will hit on what Tom said about Steve O'Donnell was really,
really like he did a press conference on Friday and he didn't have to do that.
Joe Gibbs did a press conference on Saturday where he just wanted to talk about Kyle.
He didn't have to do that either. So just shows the kind of, not just leaders, but
men, just human beings that these people are, just good, good people. But yeah, as far as
where to go, I really don't know. It's tough because, excuse me, I mean, it's almost like
it's like an Elvis Presley and like dying in his forties or like a Kurt Cobain or
some kind of deal like that where you're just like, what's the future now that this big icon
that was kind of from the center is gone. I don't really know.
And, you know, the smarter people than me that don't know. But I think NASCAR, you know, NASCAR
it's a good chance for people to come together. That, you know, there has been a lot of vision
in NASCAR over the last couple of years or so. And maybe this is, that is the good that could
come from this is it's finally the thing that kind of unites the fan base and just makes everybody
quick complain and so much about the racing package and, you know, TV ratings and the car
and whatever people complain about every week. And we just kind of come together and just enjoy
racing for what it is. It's the family sport that it is. That's all I could think.
I just I want to say something real quick now before you take it back. And I've been thinking
about this in terms of the end of an era 2008 Daytona 500. There are now only three people
that raced in the 2008 Daytona 500. They're still active today. One of them is Jimmy Johnson who
really can get me he's racing what handful of more times for calling it quits. You have Danny
and JJ Ellie. And that's it. And like, I think for everyone just like the passing of Earnhardt
meant the end of an era. I think like Kyle like that generation of when Kevin Harvick and Martin
Truex Jr. and Kyle were all battling for titles. You know, I think about the big three like seven
or eight years ago. You know, we're completely past that now. And we're into this new era of a sport.
And I think, you know, for the era to end as tragically as it did, you know, for, you know,
Kyle was the one that we thought was going to be around for a really long time, you know,
to end as tragically and awfully as it did. It's just it's something that
that's going to take a while. It's just going to take a while to figure out, you know, the meaning
and how much this will change the trajectory of a lot of things.
Holly, I think for me, the guy that we're not thinking about is Richard Childress. I mean,
this is the second time that he's had to do this. I mean, I just I feel so, so sad for him.
He did this in 01 and 25 years later. He has to do it again.
Yeah, it's unfathomable. It really is. I thought about that too, just that, you know,
it was so, as you would imagine, incredibly difficult. Dale Earnhardt and he were very,
very close friends away from the track too. And that just took so much out of Richard.
And then, you know, I think his relationship with Kyle, as we know, evolved, shall we say,
over the years, from him wanting to have somebody hold his watch, was that his ring?
With Kyle to just, you know, embracing him and wanting him to be on that team and
wanting him to help reinvigorate Richard Childress racing. I just feel horrible
for him and that organization. And it's just I yeah, it's it's one of those things you just
cannot even believe. A couple more things here before we take a break. I think another guy, Tom,
that people, I mean, we're not overlooking him. But I mean, people that are just probably just
heartbroken is Kurt, his brother. I mean, we saw him put the roses down on that number eight.
I mean, this was a guy that that was helping Kyle. I mean, he's that he was the fun uncle to
Brexton and to Lennox. And now he's gonna have to take more of a role and help, Samantha. I feel
so bad just for for for Kurt and just the parents. I mean, it's just it Kurt Kurt's had a long
long road just in life in general. And now he has to deal with this as well.
Yeah, I definitely was thinking about that. And, you know, I think Holly would would know
more than me, you know, focusing on Eddie Carr more in the last year and a half. But
it was my understanding, you know, because Kyle and Kurt went through a period where they were
not as close, but that the last several years, they have really become closer. And, you know,
similar to Kyle becoming a family man with Brexton and then Lennox, I think it was those
kids that helped bring them closer together. And I think I know Kurt really enjoys that role of
the fun uncle. And it's just a shame that, you know, it's a shame about all of it, right? And,
and, you know, I think about, you know, I wasn't covering the sport full time
when Dale Earnhardt died. It was just a kid. You know, I was still it was just starting college,
but just the malaise that lasted from Earnhardt's death pretty much lasted, I would say the whole
season for anybody that was watching the sport deeply involved in the sport and in talking
to people about that time period and about how it just it was so hard to shake. And I feel like
we're probably in for a similar ride here where the rest of 2026 and deservedly so is going to
be all about Kyle and and moving on from from trying to move forward, I should say through
through unimaginable. And, you know, the children's point is well taken in terms of him having to go
through this a second time. And, you know, just Kyle had not won on the cup side in almost three
years, but from a, you know, media and from a marketing perspective to just take take that side
of it. That is to me is horrible to talk about because I just think of the person and the emotion
involved in grief. But I mean, you guys know, I mean, anything that we did on Front Stretch that
had Kyle's name in it immediately had value that rocketed upward, you're still so popular.
You know, and like NASCAR has lost that connection to that connection with the past era era that a
lot of people were just still so interested in every single thing that Kyle did. What will
happen with those race fans? Will they stick around? You know, just like after Dale died,
will will they still follow the sport? Will they drift to somebody else? Like these are all questions
that we're going to take months to answer. You know, and until then, there's a lot of crying
and a lot of grieving and a lot of processing. Well, because there really isn't,
if you don't mind me jumping in there, they're really, as you mentioned, there's nobody like him.
I mean, he was the guy left that people love to hate because he was so incredibly good.
And he could take it and he could give it right back. And I would argue, and you guys are in
the press rooms as much as I am that there really isn't necessarily that guy that's ready to give
it to you like Kyle was and to take it like he was and to answer with a bow and a trophy.
I think that's something that that we will miss too, is that huge personality and that
willingness not to be afraid to say what he wanted to say.
I was going to say, when Dale senior passed, those fans latched on to Dale Jr.
There's like Braxton's not in the, you know, he's still a kid. He's still trying to figure out
what he wants to do in life and all that. Will he make it to the cup level or will he
go be a banker or something? You don't know. It doesn't, he doesn't have to,
you know, if he wants to be a razor again, but if he doesn't want to, he could go do something else.
It would completely make sense. But so those fans don't have like that second generation to
latch on to. So I'm not sure what do they do latch on to. Yeah, there's nobody exactly like
that personality for sure. Oh, exactly. I was talking with the former friend stretcher. I saw
him at Indie Chase Folsom and he was saying that how he thinks Braxton is going to be like Dale
Jr. Like the crowd is just going to love him because of his father and how they're just going
to rally around him, kind of like how the crowd rallied around Dale Jr. Obviously, I know that
Dale was an adult when his dad died and Braxton's only 11. But I mean, as Braxton comes up through
the ranks, there's going to be a crowd that is going to be, well, I cheered for his dad. I got
a cheer for him. And he is going to be so popular. And kind of what Steve O'Donnell's saying that
everybody in Ascar has their back. And I think Braxton is going to have so many fans in the
stands. It's going to be emotional.
I worry about that pressure though, Nolan. I do worry about it. And I hope everybody gives
Braxton space to grieve. We talk about all the stuff that Dale Jr. went through. Dale Jr. was
in his mid 20s, like mid to late 20s. Braxton's 11 years old. He's 11 years old and he just lost
his dad, who he had the tightest relationship with. And at the moment, I don't care if he wants
to go race next week. I don't care if he doesn't want to race for a year. He deserves all the space
and all the support of the community and everyone around him as he figures things out. And we'll
see in a year, two years, three years, where we're at there. But I just hope Braxton is given the
space to grieve. And I already worry about the pressure of the expectations that are starting
to be set. You know, in the wake of this, oh, well, when Braxton comes up, well, we're five years old.
We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we're going to be talking Indy and Charlotte
and just the environment and just how the overall atmosphere was. Once again, this is the
Front Stretch happy hour show remembering Kyle Busch from the agave fields of Jalisco,
Billy's tequila, perfect in a margarita or straight over ice. Celebrate the race of life with Billy's.
Use code Racer for 5% off at Billy's tequila.com. Please enjoy responsibly.
Welcome back to the Front Stretch happy hour program remembering Kyle Busch. Thank you so much
to My Place Hotels for sponsoring this program alongside Billy's tequila, Massey, and myself
along with our compatriots Alex Kinsen, Dalton Hopkins, all standing in My Place this past weekend
and enjoyed our say some massive thank yous to My Place. Massey, you were in Charlotte with Dalton
Hopkins, myself and Holly and Tom were all on Indy. So I'll have you go first Massey.
Obviously, you weren't in the sport when Dale passed, but can you as much as you want, I'm not
going to pressure you or anything. Can you describe how you felt during this weekend? I mean, obviously,
you're sick. We can literally hear you being sick now, but when you were at the track,
just what was it like? Yeah, yeah, it was it was sad. I will say
like once the racing actually started, it did feel back to normal. But that being said,
and it was like all three races were impacted by rain. No race made the distance. So that was
just really depressing. But the cup race, I thought was really good for the first three stages
until the rain impacted it. Trucks was pretty good as well until kind of the time shortened it.
And O'Reilly, man, they would have put on such a great show if rain didn't ruin that race as well.
So like Charlotte, the track was putting on amazing racing. The crowd was incredible
all weekend. It's just a shame that like you had a dark cloud literally and figuratively
over the track all weekend long. Holly, we were an indie and there's something special about the
Indy 500, but it did feel like there was something that was missing just a little bit.
From your perspective, what was that like? And do you agree with that that there did feel like
it was there was a little bit missing? I know I've used the word before, but I think it was still
stunned. You know, people were stunned that this was going on and that Kyle had passed.
I mean, and he's a two time winner at the NASCAR race at Indianapolis. And
yes, I think there was definitely just this air that kind of hung over. And you know,
they had rain to deal, you know, Indianapolis had rain to deal with as well. So
the weather almost felt appropriate for what was happening, frankly. But yeah, there was definitely
a lot of thoughts he was on so many people's minds. And you know, I've got to imagine how hard can it
be to go out in both series and hold, you know, one of the biggest the biggest race of the year for
the Indianapolis 500 for that series and one of the very biggest in NASCAR. You know, how difficult
must that have been to kind of turn the attention and make that happen because there was, you know,
it just didn't feel like it normally does. How about that? It just didn't.
I completely agree. And Tom, Kyle Bush never ran in any car race. There was apparently there's
two separate occasions where they were in talks for him to do the double. That did not come to
fruition. But it's the it still was just heavy in the garage. We saw the 18 of Roman Grosjean,
he had his his the number changed for it to look like the 18 that he drove in the Eminem's car.
Kiffin Simpson's number eight on Pit Road was was changed. The font was changed for him to
have the eight that he ran in the Cup series. And then all there was little stickers that most of
the drivers put on their cars to honor him. But it truly did feel like that there was one thing
missing from from Kyle's resume. And that was the double. And unfortunately, we'll never get to see
that. Yeah, unfortunately, we will never get to see that. And I think that's one thing, you know,
Tony talked a little bit about it on the pre-racial for Fox. But, you know, there was
still very much talk about Kyle doing the double before he retired. And, you know, remember older
brother Kurt did that, I want to say 2014 was very successful. And, you know, from what I gathered
with several conversations over the weekend, there was going to be an opportunity
for Kyle within the next few years to have that if he had wanted it. He had wanted to
during his time with Jogi of Tracing and there are two specific opportunities, I think,
where Gibbs turned around and said, no, if I remember correctly, one for sure. And so,
like, just that just knowing that that prospect was there, you know, one of the things that,
you know, and Holly be interested to see or take, I was surprised, you know,
this is my second year full-time in the IndyCar paddock. And, you know, I've been around motor
sports for all these years. But first time, like, you know, last two years, I've been really
intimately involved in the IndyCar paddock. How many people knew Kyle and knew Kyle a decent
amount. And, you know, I like Tony Kanan was one that stands out that had like a nice tribute.
And it was, you went, I asked somebody about this, I asked one of the IndyCar drivers
off the record about this, which is why I'm not giving the name. And he's like,
people respect greatness. And Kyle was great in what he did. And other race car drivers,
even from afar, look to, you know, understand that greatness when they see it. And I thought
for Indy, as I said at the top of the show, when the race happened, it was this very pleasant
distraction just like with Charlotte. And it just was such an exciting race from start to finish.
And there were so many things going on that other than the lap 18 tribute, which was so touching
for IndyCar to do that, you know, with it and Kyle Bush never running an IndyCar race.
I thought that was a moment that you could push it out of your head. But it was always there,
just not as prominent as I think it was in Charlotte.
And even if you have the Pylon, I'm sorry, I was just going to say that the
scoring Pylon was lit up several times for many days, a tribute to Kyle.
Yeah, yeah, I was just actually great minds think alike. I was just about to say the same thing.
And yeah, with the great tribute that Fox did on lap, lap 18,
Massey, I really hope I don't think I'm going to, he's not going to be mad at this belt.
I was talking with Zach Derniolo of NASCAR.com. He says the entire weekend just felt like a days.
From Friday all the way to Monday, he says he just felt like he was in a trance.
And Indy did not feel like that. Once the race started, the green flag wave,
it felt like you can get into race mode. And you felt like, okay, we're back in business.
And I mean, the greatest, the closest, in my opinion, the greatest finish in Indycar,
in Indy 500 history happened with Felix Rosenquist beating out David Maluchus.
But for you, did you feel like that? Did you feel like it was just a days from the very start of it
all the way to the checkered flag? Because just talking with Zach as well as others,
that's what others felt like as well.
Yes and no. I feel like once the racing got going that it was, your mind was elsewhere. It was like
escapism and like being on pit road afterwards, chasing the stories, having like Denny Hamlin
and Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick not seeing eye to eye on the final restarts.
Like that felt back, back to normal a little bit or, you know, talking to Brendan Butterbean Queen
at the care center, him saying he got Chris righted. That felt a little bit back to normal,
you know? So there's little things like that that did feel like a normal race weekend.
But overall, I do agree with you. It was kind of just tougher to think of like
storylines to follow and just a little tougher to pay attention to like strategies
that were going on as it unfolded. But the little things like chasing the drivers afterwards and
stuff did make you feel in the moment. I felt like. I mean, rain also affected that as well.
So unfortunately for you guys, I mean, we got a red flag and then we went back green and then
there was a caution for weather and then Tom Cripney from wrong. I think that was the only,
that was the only one. Was it just one red and one yellow for weather? Okay.
Okay. Just making sure. But I think last thing here before we call it a night, we'll let the
final topic because we're running a little bit long is kind of what I asked Massey during the,
I think it was the second topic, which where do we go from here? How do we, I mean,
we're, we're, every day is a new day and we got more races to go. We've got another races
upcoming weekend in Nashville. And then after that, we're going to go to Michigan and we're
just going to go on and on and on. But I mean, how, how do we go on from here? I mean, I think it
was Tom, I think what you said is there was kind of just like for the rest of the old one season,
it was just, we felt that with the loss of Dale Earnhardt and maybe we'll feel that
with the loss of Kyle Busch all throughout the season. But Holly, I'll start with you.
Just where do we go from here? Well, I think that, and you've heard people say it
over and that Kyle would want us to do this or Kyle would want us to do that.
I think that definitely like having Rajah Karuth drive the truck that Kyle was going to
at Nashville this weekend. Rajah is the defending winner. I mean, there's still,
you know, two additional races after that that somebody's going to have to be driving the truck
that Kyle was going to. But I think, and I, you know, you hate to do this or speak for somebody,
but I do try and think to myself, you know, how would Kyle respond? What would he be telling
people right now? And I think that the racer, the competitor in him maybe uses that to cope
and to help. And so I think that, you know, I would expect that that's what you're going to see
people doing is racing for Kyle, putting on a show. And at the same time, as you guys have all
mentioned, being there for his family and doing everything possible to comfort, because this
is going to take a long, long time. This isn't going to be something that's better in another week
like, Hey, we're back to action. It's going to be felt, you know, arguably forever. So I think that
the way that the drivers handle it and move forward is, you know, they know Kyle well enough
to know perhaps, you know, what would he do? And Tom, I think all I said at best, Kyle would want
us to race. That's what Kyle loved. Kyle loved. Obviously, he loved to be a husband and he loved
to be a dad. He also loved to race. And that's what Kyle would want us to do. Kyle would want us
to race and he would want us to race every single thing that he could. And I do think that's how
we we move on is we just race. Yeah, I look at things from the emotional side of it. And I look
at things from the practical side of it. You know, the emotional side is everybody needs to grieve.
And I mean, from everybody, I mean somebody that is a little kid that followed Kyle for three or
four years as a little race fan at home. Suddenly, their favorite driver is gone. And they're
experiencing loss maybe for the first time ever. And they have to grieve as much as the actual
family of the Bush family themselves has to grieve. And you know, it's grief is a funny thing
for everybody that has experienced it. It's it's a very individual thing. And it
it takes time and people are going to be in different stages at different times. And,
you know, it's going to take a lot to pull everybody through. And that's where the NASCAR
community needs to continue to come together. And I think Sunday was a great first step,
a great first step. I'm sorry, I really didn't. I just wanted to say that I thought you hit on
something so important as competitive as Kyle was as much as racing meant to him. He was also a
wonderful husband and an absolutely fantastic dad. And so I think that that's the other part of this
is don't forget to be there. Don't forget to be wonderful for your loved ones. And I really,
I know I'm a softy, but that's also the part I see of Kyle, given his kids an extra hug.
You know, I think that that is something that we can take going forward to
is not just the competition on track, but the love that you give your family and those you
care about. I'm really glad you said that, Holly, because I I've said I love you to more people.
I think this past weekend that I probably have in like last month that's not named my wife or my
mom. And that's just because of this, like you just maybe you take it for granted because
I mean, or maybe I just don't say it enough. But I mean, I for guys that maybe I haven't talked to
in a couple weeks is just checking in. Love your brother. And we just have to be there for them.
Like we were saying earlier NASCAR is a big and it's a huge community. And we got to be there
for Sam. We got to be there for Brexton. We got to be there for Lennox. We got to be there for
Tom and Gay. We got to be there for Kurt. We just got to be there for RC and his wife.
And even like a guy like Austin Dillon, who was with Kyle every single week for the past couple
years, I mean, obviously, they've become close to you just have to be there for one another. And
even if you haven't talked to a person in a few or a couple of months or even a year,
just give them a call because you just never know. Massey, I'll end you with this, buddy.
How just what are the final thoughts for you as we finish up this show?
Just where do you want to end it here?
First off, I'll say I love you guys. I love everyone watching and listening.
And I did want to ask before we ended Holly, we did have Catherine Leg be the first woman to
attempt the double. And I just wanted to see like from the female perspective, like obviously
didn't go as well as she wanted it to. But how cool was that for you to see like a woman attempt the
double badly? I love it. I've covered all of them going all the way back to when John Andretti did
it. So it was really cool. I think that she would tell you that it coming together as late as it
did just didn't provide maybe all the things that they needed. And certainly the weather
hampered things. But you know what? She did it and she accomplished something. And I give her a
whole lot of credit for what she did. I know it didn't end up the way she wanted, but she went
for it. And I give her credit. Thank you for mentioning that. I felt so bad for her because
it wasn't her fault. I mean, Ryan Hunter-A just got loose and she was she was an innocent bystander.
So and then she just had an unfortunate end at the Coke 600 as well. But
wrap it up, Holly. Thank you so much for coming on. Obviously, I wish this was under
bed of circumstance. We could have fun. We can joke around and everything. But
obviously it wasn't the time or the place. But I would say promote the website you work for. But
you work for the NASCAR wire service. So like where do we see it? Is it NASCAR.com? Is it
somewhere else? Just where can we find your work at? Well, hopefully a lot of places. But yes,
it is. It does run on NASCAR.com, Racer magazine, and it runs in websites actually all over the
place. So it's it's pretty widely distributed. So thank you for that. I appreciate it. And thanks
for having me on. But we'll have to do this again. Yes, under a much better circumstances. Oh, and
yes. Where can we buy your book at? I couldn't buy the book anywhere. You can get it on Amazon.
It's in bookstores. It's all over the place. NASCAR champions. And you know what? I'm really
honored that I got to write the chapter on Kyle Busch. It was a great experience just writing
it. Absolutely. So what an honor is that turned out to be? That is cool. We actually had this
planned a couple of weeks ago. So it is the universe works in mysterious ways. Tom, obviously,
I know you have your IndyCar duties, but you also do write a column for frontstretch.com. Give us
a little tease on the column that you're going to be writing this week. Well, I think we're going
to talk a little bit about where we do go from here, which we had that conversation tonight. And
you know, it comes out every Wednesday, DYN. And you can hear my name mentioned sometimes. I'm
at IndyCar and Fox on the weekends. And you know, look, I did want to mention one more thing.
Like before we go, I think, you know, and I don't want to mention it too much because I almost
still feel like it's too soon in terms of the practical side of this. But you know, there is
a gaping hole now in the NASCAR world without Kyle in terms of, you know, Kyle had all these
rivalries with different drivers. And they may have been good natured rivalries, but they were
rivalries that were, you know, based on a guy that just was out there really, really trying to win.
And, you know, as we figure out where we go from here, I think, you know, who is that,
who is that next guy? And we didn't see that happen in a post-earned heart world for a number of
years. It may not be something that's instant, but somebody will eventually slot into that role.
I mean, that's the circle of life. It always, it always works that way. And, you know,
I think who will fill it. And, you know, it's a huge blow to the sport at a time when IndyCar has
a lot of momentum. And I'm curious to see how that all plays out in the next six to 12 months.
Yes, for all the people that hear and say, thanks to our stat guy, Bowles, that is Mr. Tom Bowles.
So you can often hear his voice sometimes on the Fox telecast. Massey, what are hopefully,
first off, hopefully you are going to the doctor tomorrow. That's my cause for concern number one.
Number two, are you going to be writing anything while you're, while you are recovering?
Yeah, yeah, hopefully I'll have a column, Fire of Fridays, column out this Friday.
So yeah, I don't know what I'm going to write about yet, because it's, I don't know, everything's a
whirlwind these last couple of days. So I'll figure something out and hopefully sound like an
human being and a living human being at some point in the near future.
Well, this has been a tough episode, not going to lie, but I do love each and every single one of
you guys. I love our producer, Chris Graham, who works all the magic behind the scenes.
Thank you, Chris, for everything you do. Coming up next on the Frontage Podcast Network,
bringing the heat with Trey Lyle. So stay tuned for that. That comes out on Thursday.
But, but for Holly Kane, Tom Bowles, Michael Massey, and our fantastic producer, Chris Graham,
my name is Brian Oh, and this was another edition of the Frontage Happy Hour Program,
we remembering how Bush. From the agave fields of Jalisco, Billy's Tequila,
perfect in a margarita, or straight over ice, celebrate the race of life with Billy's,
use code Racer for 5% off at Billy's Tequila.com. Please enjoy responsibly.
My Place Hotels is your perfect racing pit stop.
Gear up for comfort and take the checkered flag on savings.
Hook today and enter promo code FRONTSTRECH for 10% off your stay.
you
About this episode
Kyle Busch’s legacy anchors the tribute, from “the historic 234 wins” and “the two cup championships” to the charitable impact of the “bundle of joy fund” raising “over $2 million.” Holly Cain shares the shock of learning at the Indy 500, including reactions from Mario Andretti and Roger Penske, and why it felt different: “not in the race car.” The hosts also revisit Busch’s dominance, his family goals, and how NASCAR and IndyCar communities rally—while safety innovations like the HANS device are tied to Earnhardt’s legacy.
