Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Tribute To Kyle Busch Was Special

Dale Earnhardt Jr. paid tribute to Kyle Busch in a special way on Sunday night, May 24.

The legendary NASCAR driver remembered Busch, who died at the age of 41, following complications from pneumonia.

On Sunday night, Dale Jr. opened up about his friend, in a special, touching tribute that aired on Amazon Prime prior to the start of the Coca-Cola 600.

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“In 2001, Kurt Busch said, ‘You think I’m a pretty good race car driver? Wait until you see my brother.’ He was right. Kyle was born into racing,” Earnhardt said. “He drove go-karts before he could reach the pedals. His dad working the gas as Kyle sped around the homemade course. About 10 years old, he was the crew chief of Kurt’s team. And at 13, his own racing career began.

“65 wins and two titles in Legends cars at the Las Vegas Bullring. Then, late models, and his truck debut, at 16, where he finished ninth for Roush Racing. About the only thing that could stop him was the rule change that raised the minimum age in trucks to 18. And then, 23 years ago this weekend, he made his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Charlotte, finishing second. It wasn’t before he went from Kurt’s little brother ‘Shrub’ to ‘Rowdy.’

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“And man, did it fit. A generational talent with swagger for days, and that signature bow that his fans loved, and his critics hated. Skilled, fierce, and competitive as (heck). There was some hard racing, and some hard feelings. But beneath it all, he had a simple approach. You win, in order to go race again next weekend. And boy, did he win. More than anyone else. Ever. 63 Cup Series victories. 102 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins. 69 Craftsman Truck Series wins. And a record 19 straight Cup seasons visiting victory lane. Four crown jewels, including the 2018 Coca-Cola 600. And of course, two Cup Series titles.

“Along the way, as he evolved, the boos gave way to cheers. And rivalries, they became friendships.

“Some time ago, Kyle was asked how he wanted to be thought of when he retired. His answer: ‘The first thing they’ll remember me by are my on-track success.’ And then he added, ‘The second thing would be how I grew up in the limelight. I started this when I was 18 years old, and now, I’m 26. And when I retire, I’ll be 40. And they’ll see the whole transition of my life, and how I made it through. And it was all under the skeptics’ eye. Certainly, I know wasn’t the best coming in, and I’m not now. But we’ll see how it turns out when I’m 40.’ It turned out to be legendary.”

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“I’ll always remember him as a guy who hated to lose more than anybody,” Earnhardt explained. “He won more races across the top-three NASCAR series than any driver in history, with win No. 234 coming in the Truck Series just last weekend at Dover.”