NASCAR CEO Opens Up About Kyle Busch In Press Conference

CONCORD, N.C. -- As the entire NASCAR industry continues to cope with the tragic loss of Kyle Busch, the driver who amassed more victories at the NASCAR National Series level than any other driver in history, NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell attempted to ease the heartache of the fanbase with a press conference in the Charlotte Motor Speedway media center on Friday evening.

O'Donnell spoke from the heart about his personal experiences with Busch, a fierce competitor who consistently fought the establishment and even more consistently found Victory Lane. O'Donnell, who began working for NASCAR in 1995, says that Busch was a unique talent who pushed the sanctioning body to be better over the years.

"I've spent 31 years in this sport, and Kyle Busch has been a part of my life for 25 years," O'Donnell said. "Watching him come into this sport as a teenager, I think all of us would agree, full of talent, full of fire, didn't give a damn, was going to push us. I think we all loved that spirit."

O'Donnell, thinking about all of the accolades and achievements that Busch piled on throughout his career as a driver and a team owner, explained, "Kyle Busch lived just about every chapter of what you can do in NASCAR."

Busch, who won last weekend's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Dover Motor Speedway, amassed 63 NASCAR Cup Series victories, two NASCAR Cup Series titles, 102 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series wins, an O'Reilly Auto Parts Series championship, and 69 race wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series over his legendary career.

His 234 victories across NASCAR's three National Series divisions are the most all-time by any driver in the history of NASCAR. O'Donnell called Busch an unquestionable first-ballot NASCAR Hall of Famer.

While Busch was spectacular behind the wheel, he was unpredictable behind a microphone, and even more unpredictable if he was on the receiving end of a NASCAR ruling he didn't agree with.

"He would challenge NASCAR on some rules," O'Donnell admitted. "[At Texas Motor Speedway in 2017, Busch] Maybe spun out, maybe hit the wall, we decided that we needed to take him to the care center. He laid out flat on the pit cart and made fun of us. I was mad at the time, but I look back, and that was damn funny. And that was Kyle."

But Busch's jabbing wasn't limited to the sanctioning body. The driver would often spar with media members during interviews, and he was one of the best at battling the fans in attendance after a race win.

"Always good to egg on the fans. Played that villain, and was a winner," O'Donnell recalled.

While everyone is aware of Busch's reputation as a hard-nosed racer, and an even more hard-nosed villain to the fans, O'Donnell wanted to highlight Busch's massive kindness, which went under the radar throughout his NASCAR racing career.

O'Donnell recalls th generosity that Busch showed a young Daniel Suarez, who had uprooted his life in Mexico in an attempt to live out his dream as a racer in America.

"Daniel Suarez comes over from Mexico, learning English, learning how to race at the National Series level, [and was] struggling. [He] received a call every week from Kyle Busch," O'Donnell revealed. "Never talked about it, just how do I make you better? How do I keep things going?"

O'Donnell also pointed to Busch's Kyle Busch Motorsports team, which fielded entries in the NASCAR National Series from 2010 to 2023. Over the span of operations, Busch's team racked up 100 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories, and seven owner's championships.

In addition to the hardware that KBM piled up, Busch often took chances on people looking to build a career in the sport, many of whom have gone on to achieve great things in the sport.

"What people new to the sport don't know is that if you go up and down pit road on Sunday, you're going to see a lot of people who came through [Kyle Busch Motorsports]. What you're also going to see is a lot of people behind the wheel on Sunday who came through that. He gave people a chance," O'Donnell explained.

Not only did Busch give racers a chance to further their careers, but he and his wife, Samantha, helped couples achieve the dream of starting a family. The Busch's, who suffered from infertility on their path to parenthood, created the Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund.

"He started the Bundle of Joy Foundation with Samantha because he knew how difficult it was to start a family, and he wanted to spread that message," O'Donnell said. "And yet, he had time to be a philanthropist off the track."

To date, the Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund has provided grants to 178 families, and 111 children have been born as a result of the program.

When asked if there was any thought or consideration of cancelling or postponing the Coca-Cola 600 following Busch's tragic passing on Tuesday, O'Donnell explained, "...when you look at what minimal conversations did take place between RCR, ourselves, [Kyle's] family, it was Kyle Busch would probably be pretty pissed off if we didn't race. So we're going to honor his memory and make sure people know what he was all about."

Busch was, without a doubt, one of the biggest enigmas the sport has ever seen. He had more raw talent than just about anybody who has ever made it to the NASCAR Cup Series. He wasn't afraid to be the bad guy, especially when he felt something wasn't right. He had a heart much larger than anyone ever understood.

Kyle Busch was a larger than life icon in the world of NASCAR, and he'll be missed by the NASCAR community.

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