Kurt Busch shares his reflections on his racing career and recent induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame during an engaging conversation with Kevin Harvick. They discuss memorable moments, the importance of teamwork, and the evolution of racing dynamics over the years. Busch highlights his time at Roush Racing, the camaraderie with teammates, and the lessons learned from both successes and failures. The episode provides a candid look at the pressures of the sport and the personal growth that comes with it, making it a compelling listen for fans of NASCAR history.
Kevin Harvick sits down with Kurt Busch for a wide-ranging and reflective conversation following Busch’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on this episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. Busch looks back on growing up in a racing family, the early career moments that helped launch him to the top level of the sport, and how key turning points shaped both his driving style and his mindset over time. He opens up about the lessons he learned along the way, what advice he would give his younger self, and how perspective changed as his career evolved. The interview also touches on Busch’s involvement in the FOX Sports documentary We’ve Lost Dale Earnhardt: 25 Years Later, reflecting on the lasting impact of Dale Earnhardt and how that era continues to influence NASCAR today.
0:00 - Intro
0:35 - Kurt Busch Joins The Show!
1:00 - NASCAR Hall of Fame
11:02 - Reflecting On The Past
14:28 - Growing Up In A Racing Family
20:38 - Adapting To The Next Gen Car
25:30 - Remembering Dale Earnhardt
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"...you've been inducted into the, into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I mean, that just has to be surreal to, to look back and think what in the world just happened..."
The NASCAR Hall of Fame is a special place that honors the best drivers and people involved in NASCAR racing. Being inducted means you are recognized for your important contributions to the sport.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of NASCAR racing and its most significant figures. Induction into the Hall of Fame is a prestigious recognition for drivers, crew members, and other contributors to the sport.
"...winning a championship or winning the Daytona 500. You've been in both of those, Kevin..."
The Daytona 500 is a famous car race that happens every year in Daytona, Florida. It's one of the biggest and most important races in NASCAR, and many drivers dream of winning it.
The Daytona 500 is one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR, held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. It's often referred to as 'The Great American Race' and is the season opener for the NASCAR Cup Series.
"Roush was rolling at that time too and everything that they had going on. What was it like? I was at four or five, it was four or five cars that they, that they had at that time."
Roush is a company that makes fast cars and parts for racing. They are famous for their work in NASCAR, which is a type of car racing in the United States.
Roush is a well-known automotive company that specializes in performance vehicles and motorsports, particularly in NASCAR. They are recognized for their contributions to racing and their aftermarket performance parts.
"All five of us made the playoffs in 2005. And we were, we were feeding off each other because there was the respect."
The playoffs in NASCAR are like a final tournament where the best drivers race to see who wins the championship at the end of the season. It's very exciting and competitive.
In the context of NASCAR, the playoffs refer to a series of races at the end of the season where the top drivers compete for the championship. It's a high-stakes format that intensifies competition among the best drivers.
"And Biffle and I, I thought, brought a lot of information sharing from our truck series days."
Information sharing means that teammates in racing talk to each other and share tips and strategies to help everyone do better in races. It’s important for teamwork.
Information sharing in a racing context refers to the practice of teammates exchanging data, strategies, and insights to improve performance on the track. This collaboration can lead to better results for all team members.
"...we were just vibing off of the arrow, like the arrow side of things started to change early 2000s."
Aero is short for aerodynamics, which is how air moves around a car. In racing, good aerodynamics helps the car go faster and stay stable by reducing air resistance.
In racing, 'aero' refers to the aerodynamic properties of a car, which significantly affect its performance at high speeds. Good aerodynamics can reduce drag and increase downforce, improving handling and stability.
"And then the coil binding, all that. But here's, here's where I can finish it. Like with that question..."
Coil binding happens when the springs in a car's suspension get compressed too much and start touching each other. This can make the ride feel rough and can affect how well the car handles on the road.
Coil binding refers to a condition in suspension systems where the coil springs compress to the point that the coils touch each other, limiting the suspension's travel and affecting handling. This can lead to a harsher ride and reduced performance.
"...the jump from to the next gen car. You got to drive it. What were the biggest challenges for you..."
'Next gen car' means the newest version of a car model. It usually has improvements over the older version, like better technology and performance.
The term 'next gen car' refers to the latest generation of a particular vehicle model, which often includes significant updates in technology, design, and performance compared to its predecessor. In racing, these updates can greatly affect handling and driving dynamics.
"...the inertia of the car with independent rear suspension moves. It wasn't our..."
Independent rear suspension means that each back wheel can move separately. This helps the car handle better and feel smoother when driving.
Independent rear suspension is a type of vehicle suspension that allows each rear wheel to move independently of the other. This design improves handling, ride comfort, and traction, especially during cornering.
"For me, I was going for pole at Pocono in my final run in a, in a cup car. And who knows, might come back, whatever it may be."
Pocono is a famous racetrack in Pennsylvania where car races happen. It has a unique shape and is used for big racing events like NASCAR.
Pocono is a racetrack located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, known for its unique triangular shape and hosting various motorsport events, including NASCAR races. It's a popular venue for drivers aiming for pole positions in races.
"For me, I was going for pole at Pocono in my final run in a, in a cup car."
Pole position is when a driver gets to start at the very front of the race. This is usually given to the driver who drives the fastest during practice before the race.
Pole position refers to the starting position at the front of the grid in a race, awarded to the driver who sets the fastest qualifying time. It is a significant advantage as it allows the driver to start the race ahead of all competitors.
"For me, I was going for pole at Pocono in my final run in a, in a cup car."
A cup car is a special race car used in NASCAR races. These cars are built to go really fast on tracks and follow specific rules about how they can be made.
A cup car refers to a type of race car specifically built for NASCAR Cup Series racing. These cars are designed for high performance on oval tracks and are subject to strict regulations regarding their design and specifications.
"...for a rally race or for, you know, the Dakar around this, that wherever it's fun to have the notoriety..."
The Dakar Rally is a tough race that happens in different countries, usually in deserts. It's famous for being very challenging, with cars, trucks, and motorcycles competing over long distances.
The Dakar Rally is an annual off-road endurance event that takes place across challenging terrains, including deserts and mountains. It is known for its extreme difficulty and attracts competitors from various motorsport backgrounds.
"First car 1964 Volkswagen bug. I could have a picture of it. This is on the spot. I don't have a picture."
The Volkswagen Beetle is a small car that became very famous for its round shape and fun design. The 1964 version is one of the earlier models that many people remember fondly.
The Volkswagen Beetle, originally known as the Volkswagen Type 1, is an iconic compact car produced by Volkswagen. The 1964 model is part of the classic generation that gained popularity for its unique design and reliability.
"...1964 Volkswagen bug stock 40 horse engine. And my dad wouldn't let me upgrade anything on the engine because he thought that that would keep me out of getting tickets..."
Horsepower is a way to measure how powerful an engine is. A 40 horsepower engine is not very powerful compared to modern cars, but it was common for older cars like the Volkswagen Beetle.
Horsepower is a unit of measurement for engine power. A stock 40 horsepower engine indicates a relatively low power output, typical for early Volkswagen Beetles, which were designed for efficiency rather than performance.
- Intro
- Kurt Busch Joins The Show!
- NASCAR Hall of Fame
- Reflecting On The Past
- Growing Up In A Racing Family
- Adapting To The Next Gen Car
- Remembering Dale Earnhardt
Select text to request an explanation
It still feels like those moments of winning the Daytona 500.
I always look at the things that I screwed up and I wouldn't change, but a couple of them.
I wish I had learning comprehensives.
When I drove by it was an eerie feeling and then none of us knew what to do next.
Welcome to Kevin Harvick's happy hour presented by NASCAR on Fox.
I'm Kevin Harvick. And today our guest is 2004 cup champion recently inducted
into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Kurt Busch. Kurt, thanks for taking the time to, uh,
to join us today. Of course, Kev. Good to see you again, man.
It's good to talk to you. It's be fun. Yeah. Yeah. Well, first let's just talk
about the, just the, the Hall of Fame. I mean,
it is so weird to sit here, uh, and interview you.
And we've both been out of the car for, for a couple,
at least a couple of years now. And, and now you've been inducted into the,
into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I mean, that just has to be surreal to,
to look back and think what in the world just happened. I have a,
I had a career. I'm in the Hall of Fame.
How did all that feel when, when, when you had to give that speech and,
and take in all those moments?
It still feels like the, those moments of winning a championship or winning the
Daytona 500. You've been in both of those, Kevin, and it's like this high of here
we are amongst all of our legends that we grew up racing with and sharing the
track with. Like I still feel that vibe and I'm very privileged and thankful and
blessed to be this young and you'll be there, Kevin.
You'll be there a couple of years, man. Like it, you'll feel it and it's like this,
this was something we never even really sought out after to go and do.
It's just the drive in our heart put us there.
And that's what I'm seeing with every Hall of Famer that I've been with,
but also go and research about. So it's, thank you, Kevin. It's, it's pretty cool.
Yeah. Well, it's, I mean, you had a, you had an outstanding career.
Obviously one, a championship, one, a ton of races, 34 races. And, and, you know,
I think when, when you look at all those things that went together,
what, when you look back at, at your career and, and you start thinking through,
I'm sure you've thought through all this as, as you were going through this time
of going into the Hall of Fame, what, what were the,
you had different periods of your time. You got into the cup car,
you won a championship, you changed teams a few times.
What do you think that the, what was the most memorable period of time?
I'm not going to pin it on, on one, one section of, of your career.
What was your most impactful moment of time and which team do you think that was
with? I mean, they all have good moments, but I, I mean,
I look back at, at RCR compared to Stuart Haas and, and I'm like, you know what,
I mean that, that time at RCR was pretty special because it started your career.
Richard was such a mentor in how you did things. And, and it was just,
it was very different than my time at, at Stuart Haas. So if,
is there a section of time that you'd look at that, that you feel this was the
most impactful or you enjoyed the most?
I love it, Harv. Thanks, Kevin. I'd like you, you can't answer that one moment.
Like fans always go, what's your favorite win or what's your best moment?
And I think if I can bridge off of what you were saying,
it's about the people. And for you and Rodney Childers, right? Kevin Harvick,
you and Rodney Childers were magic.
And I believe my best magic was with Jimmy Fenning at Roush. That's,
that's when it just seemed like you didn't even know that days existed.
You didn't even worry about waking up at 4am and you're going to the next track
to test or do whatever.
I think that's the easiest way to explain that tough of a question.
If you know what I mean, I mean, you guys were rolling at SHR, I was rolling at Roush.
Everyone has that time. My brother at Gibbs, you know, Tony Stewart, Johnson at Harvick,
at Hendrick. Like everyone has those moments, but it's hard to really pinpoint the one, right?
Yeah. Well, when you look at that time with Jimmy and you guys were, I mean,
Roush was rolling at that time too and everything that they had going on.
What was it like? I was at four or five, it was four or five cars that they,
that they had at that time. You had great teammates. What was that dynamic five cars?
Yeah. So what was that dynamic like at Roush with your teammates and Jack and the way that
everything was, was going during that time period? Yeah, that, that five, six years that I was at
Roush, I don't know if that dynasty will ever be duplicated. I mean, you're talking Mark Martin,
you're talking Jeff Burton. Those are the veterans. And then there's this young guy,
Matt Kenseth, myself, Biffle. All of us could win a race each and every week. All five of us made
the playoffs in 2005. And we were, we were feeding off each other because there was the respect.
And Biffle and I, I thought, brought a lot of information sharing from our truck series days
together to the cup side. Cause Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, they were like, we're the old guys.
This is our notebook. You kids, you kids wait your turn. And then me and Matt Kenseth, we were
just vibing off of the arrow, like the arrow side of things started to change early 2000s.
And then the coil binding, all that. But here's, here's where I can finish it. Like with that question,
we worked with each other six days out of the week. And then on the seventh day,
we would go race each other. And it's like, here we go. It, you got teammates, but now it's,
now it's your car number. Now it's for your crew. And now it's for, for those guys.
What was Jack Rausch like to, to, to work with? I've never driven for, for Jack. Obviously they
built a dynamic there that was like that, right? Like it was try to build the cars the same.
Everybody communicate. And what was, what was Jack like as, as the leader when, when you were there?
Things evolved. I mean, I'm 21, 22 years old, right? You were young at that time, Kev. And I,
I feel like Jack was so enamored and immersed in the engines early on that that was his thing.
And then as sponsorship and the money just was going through the roof, it seemed like
what I did in the media was what he focused on with, with me. And I'm like, wait a minute,
we got to fix the engines. It's called Doug Yates. So I don't know, it was fun working with him,
but he is definitely that, that military mentality of this is his structure, this is his team,
and this is the way things are going to be. And as a young guy, learning all that,
I was a bit overwhelmed. I could say, you know, I think it's, it's interesting because
I got to work with you for a couple of years. And I viewed you as a great teammate because
of the fact that I love intense people. I love people that are, that are intense, but I really,
I really like people that understand the car and you understood the car and you understood the fact
that you weren't going to drive like me. You weren't going to drive like you had your own
style and you were always very meticulous of, and one of the best notekeepers that, that you'll
ever find in the notebook that, that, that you have is, is, is pretty awesome to be able to look
back and study. And, and those are the kinds of kinds of things that, that I really like as,
as competitors and people that, that work at it hard. And you always did that. So yeah, yeah.
But I think when, when you, when you look at, at the, the team piece of it and you talk about
Jack talking, he'd rather talk about the media stuff. And you're like, Hey, let's,
let's talk about the motors. You're kind of misinterpreting what I, what I'm saying here.
What do you think the biggest misinterpret of the perception that the fans had from some of
those moments, because I view you as a competitor and I see the work that goes in behind that.
And I think some of that kind of gets overshadowed by, and I did it myself,
jumping over cars or saying dumb stuff on, on TV or whatever it was.
I didn't know how long our segment was going to be. So we can, we can, we can compare stories. So
what do you think the fans, um, didn't fully understand about you?
Well, it, it's kind of a couple of different things. And, and one of them I'll, I'll start
with is Ray Everdham. It's a driver's meeting. I don't know, call it 2002, 2003. And he taps
me on my shoulder and I'm like, Oh gosh, this is Ray. Mr. Mr. Everdham. And he goes, Kurt,
you got to keep your mouth shut. You cannot talk about your engine failures. You cannot bash your
crew. This is, you're going to undermine yourself. I'm like, well, Ray, yes, sir, understood,
but I wanted to go into the explanation of what was this or what was that and patience,
experience, um, being more of a professional, right? Kev, it, for us, we were thrown into
a spotlight. I could never even imagine you with Dale Seniors death and how you would just boom,
right? From trucks, Xfinity, boom. Now here we go in a cup. Here you go. It's, it's a lot. And so
to the fans, I think I went through three generations of fans. I feel like I was beating some of the
race fans favorites when I first showed up. I was brash. It was, it was raw, but it was like,
I'm beating them, right? And then my group of fans through the 2000s, early teens, and then the
second half of my career with, with Monster Energy, like that I had an eight year old fan come up to
me at supercross last weekend and go Kirk, can I get an autograph? It's so cool just to have gone
through it all. But again, at the beginning, it's that tenacity. It's that push. It's that brashness.
It's what got me there. It's what got you there. And it's what got a lot of guys there,
but the professionalism side was something I had to work on.
So if you go back now, and this is my favorite question that, that, that I get asked. And if you,
if you could go back now and say, all right, 21 year old Kurt Busch, this is what I would do
different as you, as you go through. What are a couple of the things that you look back and say,
man, I, I wish that would be different. And I always look at the things that I screwed up as
moments that really pushed me forward to understand what was happening. So I felt like they were
learning and I wouldn't change, but a couple of them, but there's always a couple of them.
You had learning comprehension skills. I wish I had learning comprehension skills.
So what would you tell 21 year old Kurt Busch?
You know, the, the gas pedal is important. It makes you go faster. The brake pedal
is there for convenience, but you need to know when to use it. And then there's that red radio
button or whatever button that it colored is now. I just use the, use the gas, the brake,
and the radio button more appropriately. Yeah. Yeah. You know, the, the radio button,
the radio button was, was one of my worst enemies as well. When you, when you look back,
when you look back, when you look back at your career, there's, there's those key moments
and you know, there's kind of like those, those moments that you get this break and you're like,
man, I mean, we all know about the cup stuff. What, what are, what do you think before cup,
what do you think that the key moments were those one or two breaks along the way that you
were able to get that were able to propel you to the next level when you were on the verge
of thinking it might be done. You know, it's that family atmosphere of racing. This all started
out as a hobby for me. And I was just racing me and my dad, you know, we were just having fun as
father and son. And we couldn't even afford, you know, tires to put on a late model or an engine
to compete at the top level of the local track. And so it was just fun. And, you know, working
with him and he taught me everything about cars and meeting people and shaking hands and saying,
thank you. And I think the key thing was Star Nursery, the racing group in the Southwest Tour
car in Vegas, that opportunity came up. And I wasn't ready, though, I wasn't even ready for
Southwest Tour stuff. And then next thing, you know, I'm in trucks. It's like, I'm not even
ready for trucks. Everything moves so quick. From 1994 to 2000. That's the first ever time I
raced something. And now I'm in a cup car at Dover. And Dale Sr. comes walking by and goes,
son, I don't ever think you were going to lift going to turn one qualifying.
I was trying to make the show. I had to go hard. It went so quick. But yet the break from just
Star Nursery and Jack Rauch's group, Max Jones, Matt Chambers, that group from Livonia, Michigan,
with the trucks, that's when I felt that big break. Like you got a big break with the Spears
family, right? And running that 75 truck after Hornaday. I feel like that's kind of the same
moment, right? Yeah. Well, I think it's, it's interesting because, you know, it's, you never
know if you're ready. And I remember my, my dad telling me, he's like, well, you never know if
you're ready until you go do it. You just got to jump in the fire and see what happens. And,
and luckily, luckily it worked out, you know, for, for us, but you, you mentioned your dad
and, you know, your brother, Kyle, obviously you guys grew up racing together. What was that
when Kyle started racing and you were racing together, what was, what was the dynamic like
with the three of you? I could, I mean, one on one, I know with Keelan one on one is intense, but
dad trying to point both of you in that direction. What was that like as a kid?
All right. We only raced, the three of us only raced maybe two or three times.
My dad, he had a bad accident in a legend's car. Actually, he broke his, his, his neck,
his second vertebrae and like he had, it was rough in 1997. Kyle and I are six years apart.
So if I'm 18, winning a Southwest Tour race in Vegas, Bakersfield,
my brother's 12, barely even starting a legend car. So we didn't race against each other much,
but it was the cool aspect of the mentor, dad, myself in the middle, and then here's Kyle.
And so Kyle got the beneficiary, beneficiary of like my experience, my dad's experience,
and also the vision of, wow, if my brother's actually doing okay in a late model,
it's little brother syndrome. He's going to do better than me, of course, on day one, but
it was fun to go through the whole dynamic. And I felt like the timeline of things, if I
may be made it to a late model, maybe Kyle could get to Southwest Tour, maybe, you know,
race against tornado day or race against Corelli. And I don't know. I just, I was just doing it as
fun. And for my brother, I think he saw everything I was doing and he's like, this is going to be life.
Yeah. Well, it's, it's interesting now too. And this is totally off, off subject of,
of what we're talking about, but I want to get your perspective on it because I think you get to see
it. You get to watch Kyle and brexton. You, you know, we, we, Tony hates, you know, the,
the young guys coming into the series. Where do you think, where do you think the whole
development system has changed as far as when we started, because I got the cup car for the
first time when I was 25. Now, you know, Connor's Zillich is 19. We've seen tie Gibbs at 18.
How do you think it, the, the, the development system has changed because you did it. I mean,
you did it fairly quick with, with Roush. Your brother obviously did it really quick
the same way. So how explain your thought process on, and what you see on the development system
of drivers now compared to when we started. That's, that's a loaded question. It's a great
question. That's why you have a solid podcast and hours listen in and it's like, it's, it's
media and it's, it's fruitful here. If I can explain it this way of being a, a 90s kid
as a teenager watching NASCAR just, just do this. Like, you know, NASCAR goes to the brickyard,
you know, like Jeff Gordon wins the first ever brickyard and, you know, he's a West Coast guy
from Vallejo and went to Indy and ran sprint car stuff. Like it opened the door for two things,
young guys and West Coast guys. Jeff Gordon really to me is, is our, our, our savior that kind of
opened things up in a sense for that. And then as TV evolved, I mean, you were at the Tucson
Winter Heat, ESPN helped all of that West Coast group get recognized. That's when Ron Hornaday
is getting phone calls from senior and, and things evolved for the West Coast group.
And it was more of a second now, second phase in the 2000s. To me, NASCAR was an arms race.
You were the pick for RCR. Myself, Kenseth were the picks for Roush. Joe Gibbs had Tony Stewart.
You know, Rick Hendrick already had Gordon, but then there's this guy named Jimmy Johnson, right?
It was an arms race of pushing hard and finding talent from wherever because the sponsor dollars
were there. The teams had the funding. And if I can just now go to the final chapter and maybe
we'll circle back around on this conversation, that somewhat of the lawsuit was about with 2311,
front row and NASCAR on having the proper funding to be able to have that foundation
to create an environment for winning. We all shouldn't be this focused and enamored on how
we find sponsors. I mean, these kids, these days with social media, how hard they got to push,
what they're doing. I mean, bless them, they're pushing. You got to do way more than what we did
back then. But I'm proud of the way the systems work for the kids to push, to get there. But it
still is like, how do you separate yourself from the rest of the group? And I think that's what
I was able to do. You were able to do it and a few others. But the system now, it's still, we just
need to find that talent and just go like, that's kid I want. And I think that's what Connor Zillage
is that choice right now. When you keep spurring my thoughts on things that you say,
and I, you know, the interesting part that we talk about a lot on this show is the jump from
to the next gen car. You got to drive it. What were the biggest challenges for you
when you went from the gen six to gen seven car to try to get adapted to this new style car?
Because it's, you talk about the development, but it never quits. You evolve or die is the
thing that I always used to tell our guys on our team. What was, what was, what were the
things that you had to adapt to in the next gen car that were the hardest for you?
You know, I volunteered as much as I could to test the car as a plus 40 year old seeing,
you know, the, the twilight of my career and wanting to continue to pursue it and to drive
and to win this car is like, all right, what's this about? I think the key thing is all that rear
weight and the way the inertia of the car with independent rear suspension moves. It wasn't our
normal feel from the next, from the gen six car. And to quickly simplify it is the front of the,
the next gen car, you got to keep a slight tightness to it or a push. And that's the way you drove,
right? That's right. Yeah. And I was, I was a guy more so on the rear. And so that's where it
changes different guys's driving styles. And if you don't adapt, then, you know, you're not going
to have the success that you want. But I really wanted to conquer the car. I gave myself that
project and to sign with 2311 at the end of my career, I was like, I got this. My MJ's asked
me to do this. Denny's asking me Toyota monster. And I wanted to leave the car in a good spot
for whoever took over. And so to win at Kansas, that was like, yeah, all right, that last checkbox
got it done. Well, you talk about the 2311 stuff. And, and as you, as you look at the racket at
Pocono and having to go through all the, the situations that you, that you went through,
what was that, what was that time like for you? Because I feel like now you've kind of adjusted
to being retired and out of the car and comfortable with it. And to have it all snatched out from
underneath you, all of a sudden and not be able to go out and how you deserve to go out.
What was that like for, for you? And, and how did you, how did you deal with all that? Because
it just, you know, it's, it's, when you've had a career like you have had and you, and it just
ends like that, it had to be just a difficult situation to deal with.
For me, I was going for pole at Pocono in my final run in a, in a cup car. And who knows,
might come back, whatever it may be. But for, for me, it's like a Hollywood type script of
the things I've been through, highs, the lows. I literally, Kevin, I was going for pole and,
and she stepped out. I was coming to the green and afterwards the engineer said,
yeah, you had six miles per hour extra coming through three to take the green. Six miles per
hour is pretty damn good, right? You get caught up in sometimes the data versus the feel of the car.
And maybe that's what a plus 40 year old wasn't supposed to be doing. And so it took a while
like that. I mean, fine, I'm fine with it. I'm complacent to help. And what the team did for
me and what NASCAR and the sport did for me and for Monster Energy to stand by and, and like,
what, what do you need? How can we help? That's, that's where you feel the family of it, you know,
and the total sport comes back and goes, you know what, you gave so much, you don't, you don't
owe anything to anybody. And so that's, that's fine. It's way went. I still, I'm able to go
wherever in the world on people give me a hard card for a rally race or for, you know, the Dakar
around this, that wherever it's fun to have the notoriety within the NASCAR world and the global
motor sports world. And that's where I found my next step after I wasn't going to be a full-time
cup guy. Well, I'm happy that you're in a good spot to, to, um, we all have to live the second
half of our life. And, and, um, you think about how great all this is, but when it's not there
on a weekly basis and you got to change everything that you do, I've been dealing with it for the
last two years. It's, it's a drastic change in, in how you think the things you do, the places
you go. It's good. You'll be fine. I can help coach you. You know, it's fine. Just go grab a milkshake,
you know, and just sit down for lunch and just reminisce. Like even the other day, friends were
coming up to me and, and talking about different stories and things. And I said, you know what,
it's easy now because there's more time and there's the reflection now with the Hall of Fame
and the key thing is I'm very blessed again. And you'll be there soon to be this young and to
have the Hall of Fame honor. I get to embrace it and be, be in that vibe for, for much longer
for the rest of my life versus some of the others. So it's, I'm in a good spot. It's good.
Good. Well, you're also in this, we've lost Dale Earnhardt documentary that comes out
February 12th after the duels. It's going to be on, on Fox. It'll re-air on FS one or a Fox,
Fox one app. Tell me about, tell me about being in this and reflecting back on, on just a time
that was pretty dark for, for everybody in, in our sport.
Cool. I mean, you're, you're the toughest guy to give an answer to because of how close
you were to all this, right? I was just, I still remember I had some damage
with our car. I think we were lapped down 2001 Daytona 500
and spotter saying, wreck up ahead, wreck up ahead, slow down, slow down, slow down.
And this is coming to take the checkered. And when I drove through turn four and saw the oil
streaks, the smoke and the cars, you know, a black car and a yellow car kind of piled up on the
inside. When I drove by, it was an eerie feeling that it really was. And then none of us knew what
to do next, right? Like, I'm sure you were there with, with the Xfinity race, but the day before
the Bush race, none of us knew where we're going or what we're doing. And it was just one of those
surreal moments in life. When you look at that moment from a driver's perspective, you were driving,
obviously I was racing in the, in the Bush series, not, not in cup until the next week
with a lot of things that had, that had changed. How do you think that changed the driver's
mentality the next weekend at the racetrack? Because there's been a lot of things changed
since then that have been really positive for the sport from a safety side. But what was,
what was the difference from the thought process the next week when we went to the racetrack? Because
our biggest never thought that that would ever happen to, it might happen to somebody else,
but it should never happen to Dale Earnhardt. That driver mentality, how do you think that
affected the garage over the next period of time? Well, I mean, Rockingham, I think the race was
even rained out or delayed to Monday. That's right. Right. And I, I have this aura of
there's still a dark cloud over everything. And I feel like even the drivers, we raced each other
with just even more of a different bubble or like, this is your space. Okay, you go ahead,
do this. It was very, very different. And yes, as a rookie, I still respected what the hell was
going on, right? I was just blown away by it all. And it's like, what were we supposed to be doing
next? And it took the next week. And then you won at Atlanta. Was that the third race?
Third race, yeah. Yep. Yep. And it's like, there's this aura, right, of things going on around us
that we could wait. It's hard to explain. And, but you were even closer to it than I was.
Yeah. And one thing that, that I think that the, you know, we hear a lot of talk about the sport,
but the amount of attention and people and things that were happening around our races then
were mind blowing. Is that, did you feel that same way?
Yeah. The amount of credentials and people and just like the swarm around us, everything we did
had a significant significance of, am I doing it right? Am I doing it wrong? Like, yeah, you're
right. That the popularity, the craziness and chaos, it was through the roof for easily the
next five, six, seven years. Yeah. Well, I can't wait to watch it. And, and like I say,
it releases on, on February 12th after the duals. So everybody tune in. I got two questions left.
All right. All right. What is, what is, what is your hobby now? What do you like to do?
You know, buddy of mine from back in the nineties when I was before teenager time RC cars,
he got, he's like, dude, we got to go do this. And there was a vintage race in Vegas, 500 people
show up. I made the eight main in two of my classes. I was like, all right. So now just doing some
RC car stuff, doing some real estate, East Coast, West Coast, still tied in with 2311,
but at a bird's eye view and then enjoying things in life with travel and calling monster like,
hey, what do you guys got going on with this thing in Europe? What's going on here?
You know, a monster will call me. Hey, we need you to show up and do an appearance with Lando
Norris promoting the new drink in, in Austin. Like, I think I'm able to be able to enjoy it all,
but still have the connections with everything to do a through Z similar to anyone.
Time out. Are you selling real estate?
I'm just dabbling at stuff. Don't worry about it. Okay. All right. All right. I was like,
okay, hold on a second. I didn't know if you'd taken my license or anything to like,
be a realtor, but I mean, I got some heavy notebooks here. Okay. Well, that's good.
All right. Last question. It's a tough one. What was your first car that you drove on the road?
First car 1964 Volkswagen bug. I could have a picture of it. This is on the spot. I don't have
a picture. So me and my dad, we bought it for 500 bucks on a Friday night. My dad's like,
this is the car you need, son. And my dad says, how much money you got? I got $75, I think.
He says, all right, so you will work off the rest of this car and the time that you put into it with
$3 an hour. We go to pick it up Saturday morning. Some kids vandalized this neighborhood where we
bought the car and they turned this Volkswagen bug. It's upside down. So we had a lot of roof
damage that we had to fix, but I still have it to this day. 1964 Volkswagen bug stock 40 horse
engine. And my dad wouldn't let me upgrade anything on the engine because he thought that that would
keep me out of getting tickets. Well, probably a smart decision. That's, that's why it's a,
that's why we all, you know, at some point listened to our parents here and there, but that was
definitely a good decision. Probably kept you out of a lot of trouble, but I can't thank you.
Our parents with cars, but we didn't listen to anything else after that, right? Probably fair.
Well, congratulations on the hall of fame. We look forward to the documentary and congratulations on
everything that you've done in your career. And thank you for what you continue to do for our
sport and racing. You, I hope you, I hope you're around as much as you are for, for a long time.
So thanks for taking the time today and look forward to seeing you at the track, Kurt.
I appreciate it. Kev, those are kind words and I know we've had some good fun, had some good
rivalry. We're teammates. We pushed each other to be better. And that's what I try to do with our
next generation of kids is to push them to be better and show them that if they can put that
work out again, like the group that did it before us, we've done it now they can do it and the sport
will be in good hands afterwards.
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