O'Donnell offers fond memories of Busch, promises NASCAR will continue his legacy

Kyle Busch had an idea. Steve O’Donnell got a text message about it on Tuesday.

“As only Kyle could do, and I keep looking at it,” said the NASCAR CEO. “He said, ‘Hey, man, what do you think about an over-40 rule to be able to compete in all the Truck Series races next year?’ I said, ‘You know, we put that rule in place because you were winning so much.’ But when we looked about it, and we had a meeting on Wednesday internally, we said, well, damn, that’s actually good. We need Kyle in the Truck Series.

“And it was twofold because he knew he could help the series, but I think one day he had a dream to race against his son at a national series event. And that was Kyle - always thinking about the sport and going forward.”

The text message was a moment O’Donnell shared while addressing the media on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It has been 24 hours since the sport unexpectedly lost the two-time champion, and before O’Donnell took questions, he fondly remembered moments from Busch’s career.

“Kyle Busch has been a part of my life for 25 years,” O’Donnell said.

Busch began his national series career at 16, making multiple starts in the Craftsman Truck Series. It didn’t take him long to become a winner in what is now the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and he became a Cup Series driver just a year later. As the years passed by, Busch became one of the sport’s legendary figures on and off the racetrack.

“My favorite interview Kyle Busch ever gave, and I wish I could do it every weekend, and I know most of you probably hated it, but ‘Everything’s great,’” said O’Donnell. “He just kept saying it over and over and over again. That’s Kyle.”

Another memory O’Donnell mentioned was one year in Texas. Busch had been involved in an on-track incident, and NASCAR deemed he needed to take a trip to the infield care center. When the medical cart arrived, Busch lay down flat on it with his arms crossed.

“[He] made fun of us,” O’Donnell said. “I was mad at the time, but I look back, and that was damn funny. And that was Kyle.”

O’Donnell continued on about things Busch did that weren’t talked about, such as those he helped along the way, or the creation of his Truck Series team and the jobs it created and opportunities it presented for drivers, crew chiefs, and others, who would then move on to other opportunities in the sport.

Busch’s health and any details around his death were not discussed. O’Donnell said it was neither the time nor the place, and the Busch family has asked for privacy.

“Kyle Busch just defines what it means to be a racer in NASCAR,” O’Donnell said. “Everything about it – the fire, the greatness, the heart that sometimes you rarely saw. The sport was truly lucky to have him, and I believe I can speak for everybody in this sport, and I’ll just say this for me personally, the family reunions week to week are just not going to be the same without him.

“But we’re going to do our damn best to continue his legacy and support his family.”

O’Donnell described Busch as an “American badass” behind the wheel of a race car. Busch was not only talented, but also brash, unafraid of rivalries and of egging on fans. It helped earn him the nickname “Rowdy.” It is all part of representing the sport, even if in some instances, NASCAR didn’t agree.

But O’Donnell would “give a lot of money to have a few more battles going forward” with Busch.

NASCAR is moving forward with its weekend of events at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch was to race in Friday night’s Truck Series event and Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600. Corey Day has been put in the Spire Motorsports Truck. Richard Childress has renumbered Busch’s car to the No. 33, and Austin Hill will drive it Sunday.

There will be tributes to Busch throughout the weekend and going forward. O’Donnell made it clear that Busch will be a part of the sport forever.

“When you look at what minimal conversations did take place between RCR, ourselves, the family, it was, ‘Kyle Busch would probably be pretty pissed off if we didn’t race,’” said O’Donnell. “So we’re going to honor his memory and make sure people know what he was all about.”