Busch didn't just make his competitors better, he made everyone around him better

Kyle Busch loved to race, and, given the chance, would race three times on the weekend and find somewhere else to race during the week with his son, Brexton.

NASCAR did what Busch would have wanted and would have done over the weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway: raced. All three national series were in attendance, and they all honored Busch. The premature ends to both the Craftsman Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races most certainly would have drawn some opinions from Busch afterward.

It was a race weekend, but a heavy one. There was an emptiness without Busch. The sentiment that it didn’t feel real was a prevailing one, and perhaps the most accurate. And no matter how many times Busch’s photo was shown with a birth and death year, it felt like being hit in the gut for the first time all over again.

There has been so much said and thousands of words written about Busch since last Thursday. A lot of it was similar, with thoughts expressed about his impact and legacy on NASCAR. The differences lay in the personal stories and revelations about the type of person Busch was, what he did for people.

It is hard to find a new way to approach writing about such an unthinkable subject. Despite having time to sit with the emotions and get through race weekend, it hasn’t made it any easier trying to find the words. Unfortunately, ignoring it or choosing an on-track angle to cover doesn’t change what happened.

So, it’s worth noting that Busch is going to be missed for many reasons. As a subject to cover, he was either enjoyable or challenging, depending on the situation. In a way, it kind of made him intimidating because there was no telling which Kyle Busch was going to appear in front of the microphone.

The enjoyable moments came from the times that Busch got to talk about racing. The race car, the racetrack, an aero package, how things work, or how races played out. Or even pulling out broader and the sport. Busch was beyond impressive when talking about racing and giving details, especially about his vehicles, which were incredible.

On a good day, Busch was one of those subjects who, when asked a question, gave an answer. A real answer. A thoughtful and insightful one. He was actively engaged in what was being asked. There are others who are guilty of talking around an answer or giving one that doesn’t seem relevant to what was asked.

Busch never talked around anything. Everyone knew where he stood on whatever he was asked.

The challenging part of covering Busch was having to ask questions he didn’t want to answer. On those bad days or when something happened on the racetrack, there was still a job to be done of having to approach him and get his thoughts, even though he might not have wanted to stand there and do it.

“Everything’s great.” “I’m just here so I don’t get fined.” “Next question.”

Many veteran reporters will say that it should never be taken personally, and that everyone has a job to do. But, man, still having to be in that scrum or having to approach him could be intimidating. Busch kept you on your toes and gave you a run for your money, whether it was a good day or a bad one. And as much as that could be frustrating sometimes, in the end, he was one of ours.

Now that he is gone, those moments are looked back on fondly. Perhaps, in a strange way, just as Busch made the drivers he raced against better because they had to raise their game to beat him, he made his interviewers better. If you wanted the best from him, you needed to be ready with questions and topics that engaged him.

As a driver, a person, an entertainer, and an interview subject, Busch was one of a kind. There is no replacing that, and the hole that leaves for everyone will be felt for weeks and years to come.

Chase Elliott had a poignant thought when expressing how long he has raced against Busch, saying that “it doesn’t really seem right going on and being on track without him out there, and I think that emotion is something that is not just going to go away.” It doesn’t seem right or fair to go forward without Busch, but everyone is going to figure out how.

The show, better yet, the racing goes on, and the guy who loved it as much as, if not more than, anyone would want it that way.