Kyle Busch Defeats 9-Year-Old Son in First Head-to-Head Race

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, came out on top in a battle against his 9-year-old son Brexton Busch on Wednesday night in a 20-lap Winged Micro Feature event on the dirt at Millbridge Speedway. The race marked the first time the father and son had ever squared off against each other in an official race.

"I wouldn't say it's surreal. It's just we kind of knew this day was coming," Kyle Busch said of facing off against his son in a pre-race interview on the DirtVision social media channels. "I wouldn't say it was necessarily always circled on the calendar, it just kind of popped up."

While the 39-year-old NASCAR Cup Series star doesn't come from a dirt racing background, in recent years he has dipped his toes into the discipline as his son has begun climbing the racing ladder through the local dirt racing scene.

Even though his dad isn't the most well-versed dirt racer in the world, Brexton Busch knew Wednesday night's race around the 1/6 mile dirt track located in Salisbury, NC would be full of in-the-moment lessons on-track, and he was hopeful he could beat his dad head-to-head.

"Tonight is definitely a learning lesson," the younger Busch said prior to the race. "It'll be very big if I can beat him on the first night."

In the Main Event, the elder Busch started from the fifth position, he was followed closely from the start of the event by his son, who started in the seventh spot.

On Lap 14 of the 20-lap event, Tyler Lupton, the race leader, would spin while attempting to work his way through lapped traffic, which would bring out the caution. The spin by Lupton would move Kyle Busch to fourth, and Brexton would line up for the following restart in the fifth position.

While the father/son duo would fight for the fourth position for a brief period, Kyle Busch would rocket to the second position with a gutsy three-wide move to the outside lane on Lap 15.

Driving a No. 51 Lucas Oil-sponsored entry, Kyle Busch was able to hang on to finish with a solid third-place result after Dave Meendering got around him for the runner-up position. Brexton Busch would finish in the sixth position in the 20-car field in the No. 18B SERVPRO entry.

Joey Robinson would pick up his first race win at Millbridge in four years, and the opportune victory came in the race that will forever be remembered as the first-ever duel between Kyle Busch and his son Brexton Busch.

While the younger Busch failed to defeat his dad on Wednesday night, he gave it an admirable attempt, especially considering the age and racing experience difference between the two racers.

Having defeated his son in their first head-to-head event, Busch will shift his focus to this weekend's NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, where he'll attempt to nab his fourth career win behind the wheel of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

Busch, a 63-time race-winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, hasn't won in his last 63 attempts in the series. He's had several close calls over the winless drought, including a few weeks ago at Circuit of the Americas, where he led a race-high 42 laps before fading to a fifth-place finish after a spirited battle with Christopher Bell in the closing laps.