Kyle Busch Opens Up To Kevin Harvick About His Winless Streak & Why He’s Still Confident
Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX
Kyle Busch Opens Up To Kevin Harvick About His Winless Streak & Why He’s Still Confident
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Term
side-by-sides
Side-by-sides are small off-road cars where people sit next to each other. They are used to drive on dirt or rough places like deserts.
Term
four-wheelers
Four-wheelers are small vehicles with four wheels that you can drive on dirt or rough ground. People use them for fun or work in places like deserts.
Term
dune buggies
Dune buggies are small cars made to drive on sand hills or beaches. They have big tires to help them not get stuck.
Concept
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a big race track in Las Vegas where NASCAR races happen. The track has changed over time to make racing better.
Concept
racetrack configuration
Racetrack configuration means how the race track is shaped and built, like how wide or steep the turns are. Changing it can make racing different and harder or easier.
Term
repave
Repave means putting new pavement on the race track to make it smoother and better for racing. This can change how cars drive on it.
Concept
Xfinity Series
The Xfinity Series is like the minor league of NASCAR where drivers race cars that are a little different and try to get better before moving up to the top races.
Concept
Xfinity races
Xfinity races are part of a NASCAR racing series where drivers compete in cars similar to the top NASCAR series but it's like a step below the main races.
Concept
truck domination
Truck domination means winning a lot of races in NASCAR's truck racing series, where the cars look like pickup trucks.
Concept
Daytona 500 pole
Getting the Daytona 500 pole means being the fastest driver in qualifying so you start the big Daytona 500 race in first place.
Term
crew chief
The crew chief is like the boss of the racing team who decides how the car should be set up and when to make pit stops.
Concept
balance of the race car
Balance of the race car means how well the car drives and feels when turning, speeding up, or slowing down.
Concept
Gen 7 car
The Gen 7 car is the newest type of NASCAR race car with new designs and safety improvements.
Term
new body
A new body means the outside shape of the race car has changed, which can change how it drives.
Term
downforce
Downforce is like a force that pushes the car down to the road so it sticks better when turning fast. This helps the car go faster around corners without sliding.
Term
drag
Drag is the air pushing against the car when it moves, which can slow it down. Making the car smoother helps it go faster by cutting through the air easier.
Concept
qualifying on the pole
Qualifying on the pole means being the fastest driver before the race starts, so you get to start at the very front. This helps you avoid traffic and have a better chance to win.
Company
RCR
RCR is a famous racing team that builds and races cars in NASCAR. They are known for making fast cars especially for big oval tracks called speedways.
Term
legend racing
Legend racing is a type of racing with small cars that look like old classic cars. It's a way for drivers to learn how to race before moving up to bigger cars.
Term
go kart racing
Go kart racing is racing with small, simple cars called go-karts. Many professional drivers start learning how to race with go-karts.
Brand
Gibbs
Gibbs is another top NASCAR racing team that races in big NASCAR events and has won many races and championships.
Brand
Hendrick
Hendrick is a big and successful NASCAR racing team that builds and races cars in important NASCAR races.
Concept
apex of the corner
The apex is the middle part of a turn where drivers try to steer their car closest to the inside edge to go around the corner faster.
Concept
grip
Grip is how well the car's tires stick to the road. More grip means the car can go faster and turn better without sliding.
Concept
Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame is like a special club for the best and most important people in NASCAR. If someone is a Hall of Famer, it means they were really great at racing and are remembered for it.
Part
in-car camera mount
An in-car camera mount is something that holds a camera inside the race car so the driver or team can watch videos of the race later to see how they did.
Company
GoPro
GoPro makes small cameras that can be put on helmets or cars to record videos of races or adventures. They are tough and can handle fast movement.
Concept
equipment
Equipment means the race cars and tools that drivers use. Keeping them in good shape helps racers perform well every time.
Concept
backup car
A backup car is a spare race car that a team keeps ready in case the main car breaks or gets damaged.
Concept
Tulsa shootout
The Tulsa Shootout is a big car race in Tulsa where lots of drivers come to compete.
LIVE
Am I being held back a little bit?
Maybe am I holding the team back at sometimes?
Yes, if you don't know by going back and re-watching,
then you're an idiot.
It's so hard.
I feel like losing has made you more popular.
Do you feel like that with the fans?
Yes, the fans are now to the point where they're like,
how could this guy not have won a race in however many races
by now, you know?
Take him kicking your ass in some point.
It's going to happen.
I mean, that's fine.
That's awful.
That's how it's supposed to be.
It is awful.
You know?
What a race!
California's Kevin Harvick, doesn't it?
Yes!
Kyle, thanks for taking the time.
We figured we would get set up out in the middle of the desert
so that you felt it at home.
Did we do OK?
Very much at home.
Yeah, I love the desert atmosphere.
I'm from Las Vegas, so being a little bit of a desert rat
myself, this puts me right back into feeling right at home.
When you were a kid, did you spend much time in the desert,
like on side-by-sides, four-wheelers, anything?
Not a whole lot.
Maybe a little bit.
We had the old Joe's Honda back in the day, the three-wheeler.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I ended up on my side maybe more than enough times
with that one, but it wasn't until I'd made it NASCAR
that then I got the four-wheelers and the side-by-sides
and the dune buggies and all that stuff.
And we went out and did the duning thing with Biffle
all the time, which was always a great time.
But yeah, that came after the fact because all the stuff
that we did growing up was working in the garage,
working on our race cars, getting race cars ready to go,
and focusing on that and not just going to play.
Well, you come back to Vegas twice a year now.
How much time do you actually get to spend in Vegas?
I mean, do you like going home or is it just a pain in the butt?
It's just another race.
Yeah, we've got some friends in Vegas and stuff.
When we come back to town or some sweet spots that we like to go
eat at and everything, see some of the friends that I grew up with.
But other than that, it's just another race on the circuit.
We come in Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
We go right back out, so sort of that deal.
When you go to Vegas, you've had a lot of success at the Speedway.
You've gone and been able to win races there.
You've gone and over the past couple of years,
you're getting close to approaching 100 race win in the streak.
What kind of pressure does it put on when you go back to Vegas?
Because you have had success there.
You know what it takes.
It's a very unique racetrack.
Yeah, it's a fun racetrack.
My first laps there were back on the old configuration back in the trucks.
That's right.
In 2001, I think it was.
Yeah, it was flatter, wider, all that.
And then they did the repave and all that sort of stuff.
And it took me a little bit.
I mean, we ran second in the first Xfinity racer on the new asphalt.
And we were always fast in the Gibbs cars and just took me a while
to finally break through of being able to get a win at Vegas.
I always felt like I went there and put way too much emphasis
and way too much pressure on winning in your hometown
that it just never seemed to come to fruition.
So finally, I kind of came up with a mindset of just,
you know what, just just race the race.
You know, just let it play out.
Let it come to you.
You're in really good stuff.
Like it's going to happen.
And then we won a couple of Xfinity races.
I think I won a cup race actually before
then winning a couple more Xfinity races.
But you know, then obviously the truck domination
with Cobbish Motorsports there and winning a ton of times in those.
When you go to Las Vegas and you know you've had that success
and you guys have started this year with a new car.
I guess my first question is what's the balance of the new car?
You started off the year with the Daytona 500 pole.
Obviously that's a big moment because of the preparation,
new crew chief, everything that you have going.
We talk a lot about the balance of the race car
because in my opinion the Gen 7 car is so hard to figure the balance.
And then you throw in a new body.
What's been the differences in the body so far
and what you guys have fought compared to what you thought you were going to fight?
Well, I feel like the emphasis obviously is always trying to make it better, right?
And so it's a better piece than the previous one.
It's really close to the Ford, really close to the Toyota.
We're all in a tighter box now than I feel like we were before.
And so obviously with the reduced drag and the increased downforce,
you try to get closer and closer on both of those,
that we've always been really good qualifiers at Speedways
and we qualify on the pole.
But what was really cool about that with Jim Pullman coming on board,
new crew chief this year, he comes in the shop
and he's doing all of his things that he knows how to make.
And of course, RCR always knows how to build really fast speedway cars.
So his little tweaks to that.
And we'd always qualify top five, top eight, you know?
And then he gets in there and he's like, we're going for the pole.
We're making this thing a bullet.
We're going for the pole in Daytona.
I'm like, yeah, yeah, whatever.
I've heard this 22 years in a row and we qualify 30th, you know?
But when you sit on the pole and it's like, okay,
this guy knows what he's doing.
This guy knows what he's talking about.
Well, we'll give you some cloud on that, you know?
And so that was really special to see that he backed up his word.
And I think that also gives a little bit of self indication for him,
a little bit more validation within the team,
that everybody's like, okay, we're doing the right things
and we're going the right way for the speedway stuff.
And now getting into the mix of the downforce stuff,
I think it's still too early to tell on what all we have
as far as the Chevrolet goes.
But it's got to be better than what we had.
So what's been the difference with Jim?
Like what's the difference in his approach
and the things that he does compared to how you guys have functioned last year?
And what's his attitude like?
And what do you like so far about just the way that he approaches things?
His attitude is very different.
He's a very methodical and go-getter and no bullshit kind of guy.
Like he will say it straight and, you know,
tell you if you're doing something wrong,
tell you if he's doing something wrong.
And, you know, he's admitted a couple of things so far this year
where he's like, I'm still learning this car.
Like, you know, we went down a different path at Daytona for the race
and we got really loose.
And then we kind of stayed more true to our guns
of what we've ran the past couple of times at Atlanta.
And we were a little bit tight the past couple of times
and we were a little bit tight again.
And he was like, I should have went with my gut on freeing you up
and having you, you know, turn the corner better.
That wasn't the reason why we crashed out or anything.
But then we go to Kota and we know that we had a really fast race car at Kota the year before.
And like the whole Chevy group kind of copied what the eight car had.
And I wouldn't say that anybody was really outrageously spectacular
from the Chevy group.
But we were all really close on top of one another.
And it just seemed like everybody was the same and hard to get through traffic.
And we had a top eight car.
I figure we would have ran eighth if we didn't have some of the mix ups there
at the end of the race and having to go wide on the restart and turn one
where the spin was and stuff.
But, you know, Jim's been doing a really good job leading the team,
getting people, you know, pulling them in the right direction back at the shop.
I feel like as a big proponent of where he comes into play because he has such a big voice
and, you know, such a big say of trying to make sure that he's leading the group
the way that it needs to be led.
Yeah. When Jim came and, you know, we went to the Gen 7 car, you had two years in it.
When you guys sat down, all right, what did you say?
Hey, Jim, this is what I need the car to do better because it's, I mean,
it's a beast to figure out exactly what it needs to.
And the things that you've done in the past, you always and still do have great car control
and can drive past the capability of the car, which is something that's really difficult
to do with this car.
So what was the conversation like with Jim to say, this is what we need to focus on to make me better?
It's very popular in all my post-race notes for the past two years is more right rear stick.
More right rear stick.
More right rear stick.
You know, it was easy with the old car.
You just say, hey, lower the track bar and boom, that gives you the rear grip that you need
because I'm a guy that, yes, I like to lean on the right front or I like to drive off the
right front, but I like to lean on the right rear and, you know, do things with the steering wheel
with the pedals and all that to have me make the car turn where I can just mash the gas and drive
off the corner.
Well, now, like any time I ever try to do that with this current generation race car,
I'm spun around backwards because I over trust the right rear and it's not there and it's not
stuck for me.
So trying to figure those things out of being able to try to get the right amount of right
rear lateral grip and the race car that you need to be able to feel the feel that I'm
wanting to be stuck so I can hammer the car in the corners and make the speed that I used to make.
Well, it's a difficult combination to get the balance of it, of it all right.
And it's just a, it's a very unique car to drive.
You've got a whole bunch of management changes.
And I think my favorite question that I wrote down here today is,
how much have you had to deal with Mike Dillon?
I like Mike Dillon.
A lot or a little bit?
Medium.
You know, when we were going through the whole crew chief change and interviewing crew chiefs
and stuff like that, Mike Dillon was right there.
He was sort of running point on that.
And, you know, he was in all the interviews and the things of the different guys that we
talked to and stuff.
So having really good conversations with him.
You know, he's, he's one that Dillon is one that will, he'll talk a lot and he'll kind of
talk in circles.
But once he comes back through and makes his point, you know, you're like,
yeah, he's right.
Like, I get it, you know, so it just takes him a little while to get there.
Yeah.
So how is Richard right now?
I, you know, I, look, I've, I've been through a lot of the things that you've been through
with, with this organization, when you're, you're trying to find that, that last little
bit of speed to put yourself back on top.
And when I go back and think about those years, Richard, I mean, he gets tired of it.
And he's, he gets to a point where he's like, he's just mad at everybody and he just comes
in and starts dropping the hammer on things.
Is he to that point?
I don't know if he's to that point really, but, you know, obviously with, with Mike
Verlander coming in new president, I feel like Verlander's taken a lot of that load.
I feel like Dillon coming on and being a part of that as well too.
I feel like there's a more managerial piece to the team where Richard's still in there.
He's still around.
He still wants to be involved.
He still wants to, it's his company, right?
And he needs to have a good feeling and a good understanding of people and where they're at
and who's doing what and what's happening and making the race cars go better.
And, you know, Richard's sort of the guy where I feel like he, he still thinks it's easy where
it's one thing.
We're just missing one thing.
And I'm like, we're missing about 10 little things.
You know, it's, it's the areas now that you're playing within of like the thousands of an
inch into this and to that, but it's 10 of those thousands that then will get you the
whole thing of what you're looking for.
And it's just not quite as simple as, you know, the years prior.
So the other strength that I always admired about the things that you did, whether it was in the
truck or the O'Reilly car or the cup car, was you knew everything about it.
Yeah.
So what is your role in understanding the car now and the engineering project that this whole
thing is how much are you involved in that now and trying to understand what springs and shocks
and sway bars and all the things that, that need to happen with this car in this stage of your
career, are you involved in now?
You know, are you a SIM guy too?
Yeah, we're, well, I'm only a SIM guy because I'm told to be a SIM guy.
Okay.
I could throw that thing in the trash.
Like I don't, it's me being around all these racetracks as much as I've been there.
Like I know what it takes to go fast when we get there and being able to find that feel on
SIM, you're not going to find it on SIM and show up to the racetrack and have that feel be exactly
what you need it to be.
So, but as far as the understanding of the race car, like, yeah, I, when I hear the engineers
talk and the crew chiefs talk about changes into this and to that, I'm like, you know,
I think back to prior races where I'm like, you know, we, we went bigger on bar or we put more
bar load in or we did this or we did that or, hey, remember when we ran high roll center in
the back of the race car and like that was sort of the feel that I'm looking for.
But, you know, there's, there's, I went back to in Phoenix, for instance, when we were in
practice, I was like, I need more exited to like that's to me, it's as simple as dropping the track
bar.
Well, we don't have that adjustment anymore, but that's the adjustment that I seem to lack of
like, what is that?
I haven't found that adjustment in this race car to understand like, yes, that's, that's
what I need.
Like you try softer on the springs, now your platform gets all floppy, the car gets too
rolly, you try to go stiffer and then it just shears because it's too stiff and it's too
rigid and it doesn't grip the racetrack.
So there's so many, like it's just so difficult to find the exact package of, of what exactly
you're looking for and knowing that that setup is what you need.
Because for instance, like Austin Dillon goes to Richmond and he found a Richmond setup that
literally has worked for two years in a row, don't change a thing, just race it.
And we tried it last year and yeah, I was net better, like I was faster with it, but
I blow the right rear tire off of it way quicker than Austin because I'm a guy that likes to have
the right rear to lean on to punish it, to then be able to make my speed that way.
And Austin will be more of like a, a slick track dirt guy where he'll just kind of be
like putting it right on the edge and just, you know, feeding it throttle and being under
control with it that way and just, you know, being smoother with it.
And so that's how he makes his speed.
So who is Kyle Busch today as a, as a teammate?
Are you the, I mean, how old are you now?
40.
40.
God, you're still young.
Yeah.
But so where are you as the, as the team leader?
Are you, are you the guy that's going to Austin and, and, um, saying, Hey, this is,
I like this, I like that.
How are you, is it better or worse?
Do you like it?
Where are you at as far as, as how you lead as, as a teammate or how does that,
how does that work for you now?
Um, I mean, I feel older.
Yeah.
I mean, I, old guy, thanks.
Yeah.
I feel like I've gotten better over the years of being better of being able to say
things nicer, I guess, um, not being so, but I mean, there are times you got to be
blown about something, right?
It's like, this ain't working.
Like you obviously like this, whatever it might be, we've got to make a change.
Like we've got to do something.
And so, um, you go in and you voice your opinions and you're like, this is wrong.
And so you still do those, but I feel like now where I'm able to just sort of work and,
and operate with the people that we have and who we've got there.
And you just, you just do your job.
I mean, you come in there, you put in the effort, you do everything that you possibly
know how to do to the best of your ability.
And for whatever reason, you may struggle a weekend or not get the best thing that you
want to get out of that weekend, or it could be a good weekend and, and you overexcel or
you, you feel like, okay, we ran top 10 all day today.
This was a really good weekend.
Now what's the little bit of the next step that can get us into the top five?
Yeah.
So last at Kota, do you put your arm around Jesse Love and say, Hey, look, buddy,
we don't block when I'm coming at you at 10 miles an hour faster, two or three times in a row.
Do you put your arm around him and try to help?
Or do you let him tread water and just try to let him, let him barely survive?
I'm more of those guys, I'm more of the guy where those younger guys, like if they have
a question or a problem or they, they want to know what happened, call me, reach out to me.
Yeah.
I'm not going to tell you why I did something.
If, if, if you don't know by going back and rewatching, then you're an idiot.
I mean, yes, I probably do need to do the old day, learn hard of like, you know,
put an arm around the shoulder and talking, but that's just not my personality.
But, you know, sometimes, like I've talked to Austin about it a little bit.
I talked to Austin Hill about it because these teammates with him in the Xfinity series.
And I'm like, you know, what, did I do something?
Like, am I in the wrong here?
Like, am I seeing it right?
And they're like, no, like.
It's such an interesting dynamic right now because you see Jesse and you see even Austin.
I mean, he's not as young as, as those guys and you see Zillich and you see so many of
the younger guys coming in.
And, and for me, I look at it and I look at you and I'm like, oh man, I wanted to kill this
shithead, you know, so many years ago and Joey Logano.
And now you guys are all going through the same things that, that I went through.
And for me, it's fun to watch because obviously you have Brexton and you have to
deal with being a dad and you have to deal with trying to teach him, okay, these are
the things that I did wrong.
And this is what I would do.
This is how I would do it.
So you kind of start to have to do that with the, with the young kids and some of them on
your team, some of them not on your team.
That has to be, I mean, have you realized that yet?
I mean, how long, when did that transition happen?
What's funny is my, my 10 year old Brexton, after the race was over, he asked me, he goes,
dad, what did, why did you do that with Jesse?
And so like we went back and we rewatched the film, the prior five laps to what happened.
I'm like, granted, I'm on fresher tires, you know, I'm a guy racing for points in the series.
And, you know, so I go through the explanations of all of that and I show them the different,
you know, crossovers and the things that was happening back there while we're racing for 30th.
And he's like, I put it in perspective for him and he's like, okay, like I get it.
And he goes, why do you think he blocked you right here?
And I go, I have no idea.
Like if he would have just ran the line getting into 20 and I poked it in on the bottom,
like we all would have made it through 20, just fine and raced on the up the hill into turn one.
So I, yeah, I don't know.
What blocking, I look at blocking and when I first came in, if I block somebody, I got wrecked.
Yeah.
When you started, it was probably that way.
A little bit.
When did that, when did that change?
I don't, it's, it's for every position now.
Every position.
Every position, you know, and it's like, I get it.
If we're racing for a win or even maybe in the top five, but man,
there's still 20 laps to go and we're 30th right now.
Like, let me go.
But you would scold, you would probably scold, uh, Braxton's ass.
Oh yeah.
If he was, if he was running eighth and didn't block, right?
I look at that, I'm like, well, Keelan, why didn't you, they, but they battle for every position.
Like in go kart racing and legend racing and that's how they're taught to race.
Yeah.
Braxton, he's not, he's not that aggressive yet.
He's not a, he's not a blocker.
You know, sometimes he's, you get the indivision in two divisions where you get to run radios
and stuff like that.
So I get a chance to be at those races and have a radio.
So that helps me help him be able to put him in a position where he's not going to get crashed.
And so I feel like he does a good job of over-checking his mirrors at times where I'm like,
man, you got to focus forward, you know, stop looking behind you and look ahead of you,
go chase down the next guy.
So you're getting, you're approaching a hundred race winless street and I, and I saw the,
I think it was prime where you were standing there in front of all those trophies.
When you stand there and you look at that, just the trophy collection,
you go to Atlanta, you win the truck race, like it's nothing.
And, you know, the cup car has been a struggle over, over the past year and a half.
I mean, you came right in, fired right off with RCR.
And, and, and then it's, you know, it's been a little bit of a struggle since then.
And I've been there.
I mean, you go through these, you've never been there until now.
You know, you've been very fortunate to go through the part of your career.
But when, when you go back and you look at all that, do you think back to that time and say,
damn, I didn't even realize that this was even possible?
How do you approach it now, just knowing that you're going to break that streak at some point
and get, get the thing, get the thing, get that out of the way.
But how do you approach it now, just with the mindset and everything,
with what you're having to deal with?
I feel like it's almost, I feel like losing has made you more popular.
Do you feel like that?
I guess the fans are now to the point where they're like,
how could this guy not have won a race in however many races by now?
You know, so yeah, now you get the sympathy vote of they're cheering for you.
I mean, when you win, they're going to be over the topic.
I've got a hell of a lot of cheers in the truck racing at Atlanta.
And I was like, I don't normally get this for a truck win, but okay, cool.
So for me, when I joined RCR and we were fast out of the gate, we won Fontana.
We won Talladea.
We won Gateway.
I was like, okay, this is really good.
Like I can still win.
Obviously, I know what I'm doing, but we were a little bit ahead of the game,
I would say, with the next gen and with the, you know, the development of that,
the teams, the good teams, the Hendrick guys and the Gibbs guys.
Yeah, they were good, but they haven't surpassed everybody else like they always do.
Right.
And so we were, it was at the right time that I was able to win those races.
We're now, we're not winning as much.
And so for me, I feel like I'm in my mind, I'm like, I haven't forgotten how to drive.
I haven't forgotten what it takes to win at all of these different racetracks that we go to.
Like I know you need to be fast here.
I know you need good segment times in the apex of the corner here.
You got to be better on the exit of Richmond.
You know what I mean?
Like I know what it takes to win at those places.
It's just not always being able to get that stuff in the race car every single weekend to be
up there, up front, having the grip that you need to be able to go win the race.
And so I feel like it's just, it's not an excuse, but it's just like,
and I hate to say it, but like, am I being held back a little bit?
Maybe am I holding the team back at sometimes?
Yes.
Like Kansas last year when I wrecked leading, trying to pass Briscoe on the outside.
You know what I mean?
Like that was a bad arrow situation I got myself in.
So like I've thrown away some good runs as well too.
Well, it puts a lot of pressure on you.
And I think that, you know, for, for me, my favorite thing about you now,
because I'm a couple of years ahead of where you are with, with Braxton,
is going, is going to the, to the racetrack with him.
How has that kept your motivation up?
Because when I went and started racing with Keelan, I was kind of at the point where I'm like,
man, racing sucks.
I don't want to be here.
I don't want to do this too much work.
I need to just quit and then COVID happened.
And we had to go to the racetrack on race day.
He came home on race day.
I'd go spend the whole weekend with him racing.
And that's really what reignited my fire for racing,
because I realized why I liked racing again.
Has it been like that for you with Braxton,
going to the legend car tracks and a dirt tracks and all those things?
Yeah, to me, like I get into those cars and I'm able to go out there and I'm able to be fast at
times, or if we're not fast, I can work on them and like I can dial them in and I can build speed,
you know, at the local level, which has been fun for me.
I've enjoyed that challenge of it, of getting Braxton and something comfortable that he's
good at being able to make speed in.
So that's neat for me.
And that gives me the passion of like, okay, me being able to understand the vehicle
and help the crew chief or the engineers set it up to make it faster.
Like that's, I still feel like there's more wins out there.
I feel like there's more wins for me.
There's more wins for RCR.
Like there's more opportunity for us to be successful together.
And so that's what drives me.
I wouldn't, I'm not a quitter.
Like I don't just want to say like, throw your hands up and be done and get out of here.
Like there's still more wins out there wherever those, those wins may be.
And so I think the other thing too is like, I'm going through this tough time of not being
winning every single weekend, like we're accustomed to from 10 years ago, right?
And so Braxton now to the age of being 10 years old, he sees me in, in not winning all the time
where when he was just born, I was winning all the time.
So he doesn't really remember all of that stuff, but I keep telling him, I'm like,
as you get older, as you get into these bigger cars and into these more, these tougher classes
and racing against adults, your wins are going to be coming less and less as well, buddy.
Like it is the young, he is far beyond the young kids of a straight up 10 year old that
runs 25 races a year to a Brexton who runs 100 races a year.
He will outdo that other guy just based off of experience all day long and talent,
but more of experience.
And so I tell him, I'm like, as you get older and as you get into these bigger cars and
stuff, like it's going to get harder, your wins will come a lot less frequent.
Yeah. So your dad raised two Hall of Famers.
And you guys went through an era of NASCAR and racing and success and all those things.
And I, you know, I look back and I look at the things that my dad did and I'm like,
well, I wouldn't really done it like that or I wouldn't have done it like this.
And then you get done and you're like, oh man, that was, that was pretty good.
How do you, how do you look at what your dad did with you and your brother?
The brother just got inducted into the, into the Hall of Fame.
You're going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer whenever you decide to hang it up.
And how do you say, okay, I love what he did.
But what's changed today that needs to be different from when you and Kurt came up,
from when your dad was, was teaching you guys how to race with what you've learned
and the generation of how you race today with Brexton?
I don't think it's much different from what we did back in the late 90s, early 2000s, where
I made my own in-car camera mount, right?
Like that was the first of the GoPros, you know, it was those little handheld cameras.
I made a mount, put it in my legend car and that was our in-car video that we had
to go look back and re-study the next week.
And then we had the out-of-car video stuff as well too from the streamers or the guys who would,
who it, it wasn't streaming, but they would cut up the tape and then replay it later.
And so we would go back and look at the film and watch all of that stuff.
Well, now we have the GoPros, I filmed from the outside or Aaron, our crew guy,
he films from the outside.
So we have all of that same stuff.
Well, now we have data.
Now you have the tattletale, right?
And so, you know, like we have a video of me talking to Brexton,
giving him the hard, hard truth and the reality of like, you're slow.
Like, look at my speed getting into the corner.
Look at my brake point, my lift point.
I'm driving the same car you are.
It's the same weight class, all that sort of stuff.
And then we also had data from one of Joe Ryan's cars as well,
which was the same kid in the same class as Brexton.
And we're like, look, like this is where you get better.
This is how we can show you is because we have the data that tells us.
And so we were able to go through all that stuff.
So I don't think it's changed much from the time when my dad was teaching.
I just think there's more added on top of that now.
So instead of it being a 15, 30 minute lesson,
I think now it's an hour or an hour and a half lesson, you know what I mean?
So how do you get that hour and a half message across to a 10 year old
who has a three minute attention span?
That's the challenge.
That's the challenge.
So who takes the criticism better from the data?
Him or you?
Him, not so much sometimes.
He's like, well, I can't do it.
Like the car's too loose and stuff like that.
But I'm like, you just told me one run, you were tight.
The next run, you were loose.
We didn't change the car at all.
So he's still learning.
Like he's still very new and very young, but he's been really fast.
And he's got speed.
And the thing about Brexton too is he's done a really great job of,
which is what my dad instilled in Kurt and I both was not tearing up our equipment
because we have to go to the racetrack with the same car every single weekend, right?
Where Brexton's done a really good job of not always tearing up his equipment,
us being able to race as much as we do because we always have cars to race with,
you know, or the car to race with.
We travel with a backup car, but rarely do we have to pull it out.
So yeah, coolest moment you guys have had racing together.
You've got to race together a couple of times in the same races.
Yeah, we did. Yeah.
So what's the coolest moment that you guys have had?
It doesn't have to be in the same race, but yeah,
what's the coolest moment that you guys have had to be able to share along the way so far?
I would say the coolest moment was Brexton winning his Daytona 500 was the junior sprint
Tulsa shootout.
That was like where 110 cars from all across the country all come together at Tulsa for the Tulsa
shootout.
And he wins that race and like he put a whole year's worth of effort in because
the year prior, he started sixth and got wrecked on the first lap and he was fast enough.
He could have won that one as well.
But we got tipped on our side and had to go to the back and he didn't win that one.
But then the next year he came, he won seven.
He loves to tell everybody he won 17 junior sprint races in a row during the season and,
you know, it was just on a tear and everything was to focus on being able to go out there
and win that race and to see his work and his ethic and all of that stuff that he puts
together to be able to go out there and achieve that.
You know, that as a father was like, man, this is amazing and was really, really cool.
And then this past year, him and I actually raced in the same class in a couple of heat
races and early features where he passed me, I passed him back and or he passed me.
That was at the cars tour race at Vegas.
You guys raced together.
We raced the legends car as well in Las Vegas.
I qualified fifth, he qualified ninth.
He caught up to me but was never able to get by me.
But he was fast enough to be probably fourth or fifth.
And so, yeah, there's been some races where we've had some time on the racetrack together.
It's been fun.
How are you going to take him kicking your ass at some point?
It's going to happen.
I mean, that's fine.
It's awful.
That's how it's supposed to be.
It is awful.
You know?
It's the worst thing in the world because having to live with that little cocky teenager
and them telling you that they kicked your ass is awful.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, it's terrible.
It is probably one of the worst things.
I haven't seen you in a legend car, so you didn't get much time in the legend car.
No, I never did the legend car.
I never did the legend car.
I drove the legend car one time and I went out on the racetrack and they said,
just go out at Florence.
So I go out there and I'm just tooling around.
I'm like, okay, I'm starting to get comfortable and I'm doing pretty good.
And all of a sudden, boom, knocks me out of the way, drives past me, and it pissed me off.
And I'm like, okay.
So I caught back up and he started looking in his mirrors and drives up the racetrack
and I drive back by him after about 20 laps.
Yeah, yeah.
It got worse from there.
So that was the end of my legend career.
I loved the video of you guys racing at Tucson though.
That was awesome.
That was good.
Oh, well, I mean, sometimes, you know, they all want their car to be way too loose and they
don't turn steering well and you get to those old worn out, bumpy, rough racetracks and they're
just, they're like a fish out of water.
And that's the only chance that I really have because on the high grip tracks,
yeah, I'm just not as brave as they are.
So they've been there.
You've done that.
That's exactly right.
So last question.
So I saw you at Kota, before Kota, line dancing.
That was, was that your first time line dancing?
That was my first time.
Okay, it looked like it.
And you have about as much rhythm as I do, by the way.
So it is, you might have more rhythm than me actually.
I appreciate that.
Yeah.
I can teach you.
You want to go?
Well, that'd be awkward.
I'll be the lead.
You be the follow.
Okay.
That means you're the girl.
Yeah.
So how much, how much, because when I went through these phases, it's like, okay,
how do I recreate myself?
How do I keep myself relevant?
How do I do the things that I need?
How much has it changed your off track focus to the sponsors and the extra,
extra things that you need to do outside of the racetrack?
Because like you look at Cletus and you look at some of these guys that have
massive YouTube followings and things that we never did here because it was all about
the performance on the racetrack.
How much have you shifted to off the racetrack?
Because, I mean, you obviously want to do this.
You want to be around this sport because of Brexton and have things to do when you're
done driving.
How much have you had to shift the focus to some of the off track stuff to understand it,
keep the sponsors happy, do things to create new avenues and sponsors and things
in this phase of your career?
Not a whole lot, honestly.
I mean, as we all know, like, performance will take care of everything, right?
Like winning cures all, that's what I say.
And so I feel like I haven't really had to switch a whole lot of off track.
There just has been more content on the off track stuff because of being a dad and having
Brexton racing and, you know, Lennox being around and always going to the races.
Poor Lennox.
She's like the fifth wheel that's just along for the ride.
Like, come on, dog.
And she's just there.
But maybe one day she wants to drive and she wants to race as well too.
But I feel like there's a relevance there to our community of NASCAR fans of,
you know, being there for our kids, being with family and going to the racetrack and being
a track dad and all that sort of stuff.
So, you know, give some perspective of, hey, we're just normal Joe's out here trying to
do what we do on the weekends of being able to go out there.
We want to win, of course, but then also, you know,
raising the family of the next generation of racer that wants to go out there and win too.
Can you just go win so I can not ever have to ask you any more of these questions?
Trust me.
It would be really, really nice to win.
It would be a great moment for the sport.
And I never thought I'd be sitting here saying, Kyle, can you please go win?
Because it would be so awesome.
Yes, it would be so awesome.
And trust me, I know I hear all the time from our Legion of Fans,
Routing Nation, everybody's out there.
They want us to win.
Even the non-Routing Nation fans, they want us to win.
And, you know, no better place than to do that than Las Vegas, my hometown.
No better car to do it in than the Cheddar's car.
Because, hey, when we win on Sunday, we eat free on Monday.
I like that.
We get some free chicken tenders from Cheddar's.
So it would be awesome to go out there and achieve that for all of America.
I appreciate you taking the time and good luck.
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
You got it.
About this episode
Kyle Busch opens up about his ongoing winless streak in the Cup Series, sharing candid insights on the challenges of adapting to the Gen 7 car, working with new crew chief Jim Pullman, and balancing team dynamics at RCR. He reflects on his role as a teammate and father, mentoring his son Brexton in racing while navigating the pressures of performance and fan expectations. The conversation also touches on Kyle's racing roots, his approach to car setup, and the evolving off-track demands of a modern NASCAR driver.
Original notes
Kyle Busch opens up about racing in his hometown of Las Vegas, his ongoing winless streak with Richard Childress Racing, his evolution as a driver in the Next Gen era, and where he stands at this stage of his NASCAR career. On this episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Kevin Harvick sits down with Busch to discuss what it means to race in Las Vegas, how his season has unfolded so far, the challenges he's faced during tough stretch, winning the pole for the Daytona 500, becoming an expert on the Next Gen car, mentoring younger drivers, and how his mindset and approach have changed as he’s gotten older in one of the most candid conversations of the season.
0:00 - Intro
0:38 - Kyle Busch Joins The Show!
2:01 - Pressure Racing In Vegas
5:07 - Working With Jim Pohlman
10:38 - Understanding The Car
12:58 - Approach To Being A Team Leader
20:58 - Watching Brexton Busch Race
23:30 - Racing Through Generations
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