We continue our ‘Kyle Busch Remembered’ series as NASCAR races at the historic Darlington Raceway for the 77th running of the Southern 500. Busch won one Cup race and two O’Reilly races at the track ‘too tough to tame.’
Those three victories are among his record 234 career NASCAR wins across all three national divisions — more than any other driver in history. Busch died at the age of 41, just days after his final NASCAR victory due to severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.
Advertisement
Since that tragic Memorial Day Weekend, we’ve been highlighting his most impressive, memorable, or even infamous moments at whatever track is up next on the NASCAR Cup schedule (and Darlington features at least one for each of those categories…)
We’ve already covered Atlanta, Sonoma, Nashville, Michigan, Pocono, Chicagoland, Indianapolis, Richmond, New Hampshire and Daytona — which you can find by clicking the names of each track as mentioned. Now, here’s a look back at Rowdy’s most memorable moments from his many years of racing at Darlington:
Kyle Busch Darlington NASCAR Stats
NASCAR CUP: 29 starts / 1 win / 0 poles / 7 top fives / 17 top tens / 899 laps led
Advertisement
O’REILLY: 13 starts / 2 wins / 5 poles / 7 top fives / 9 top tens / 509 laps led
TRUCKS: 1 start / 0 win / 0 poles / 0 top fives / 0 top tens / 0 laps led
NASCAR Cup 2008 — A hard-fought victory in the Southern 500
Kyle Busch only won the Southern 500 once during his Cup career, and the ‘Lady in Black’ certainly made him earn it. He hit the wall three different times and the right-side was all torn up by the end of the night, but Busch just kept on pushing. It was also his first victory in any of the four crown jewel races. In Victory Lane, he praised the track for giving him such a challenge, saying: “Darlington obviously showed tonight that it is one of the hardest places. Always has been, always will be — even with the fresh asphalt, this place is tough.”
Advertisement
NASCAR Cup 2011 — The infamous clash with Kevin Harvick
Probably the Darlington moment involving KB that gets remembered the most. Busch and Harvick were not thrilled with each other during that race, and after bouncing off each other out of Turn 4, Busch sent Harvick spinning down the frontstretch just as a caution for an incident they caused flew. After the race, they chased each other around the apron with their cars in a rather comical back-and-forth before Harvick parked his car in front of Busch’s. He climbed out and prepared to confront his rival, only for Busch to shove Harvick’s driver-less car out of the way and into the pit wall. Harvick did get one good smack to Busch’s helmet in before Rowdy drove off, though.
Advertisement
NASCAR O’Reilly 2020 — Epic battle for the win with Chase Briscoe
Busch didn’t win this race, but what a battle it was. Sliding all over the place, Busch and Briscoe bounced off the wall as they battled door-to-door for the race win. They slammed fenders and each of their cars were smoking as they put on one hell of a show for the fans. Briscoe crossed the line in what was nearly a photo finish as Busch hung onto hit left-rear fender.
NASCAR Cup 2020 — Angering NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver
During a 2020 Cup race, Busch got into Chase Elliott and sent him spinning. He admitted to making a mistake, and Elliott flipped Busch off after the crash. It wasn’t quite at the level of wrecking Earnhardt at Richmond in 2008, but there were plenty of fans showering KB with boos after spinning the sport’s Most Popular Driver (again). Busch talked it out with Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson in a tense conversation, and when asked about how it went, Busch bluntly told TV: “They’re upset. I’m not just gonna fix it and we’re gonna go have ice cream tomorrow.”
Advertisement
NASCAR Cup 2021 and 2022 — A very ‘Rowdy’ exit from Darlington
In 2021, NASCAR was not impressed with the way Busch took his damaged car back to the garage. He plowed through some orange cones and people scattered as he dragged the car into the garage area. It resulted in a $50,000 fine as it was regarded as a safety violation, and rightfully so. One year later, KB was in a similar situation after wrecking and he reacted in a way only Rowdy Busch could. Instead of driving back into the garage like any other driver, he decided to make a statement after the previous year’s penalty. Busch parked the car on pit road and left it there, further extending the caution and resulting in some harsh words from the broadcast booth. When asked why he did it, Busch dryly replied: “Just couldn’t make the corner”
Advertisement
NASCAR Cup 2024 — Incredible charge to nearly get Cup win No. 64 in the Southern 500
On the final restart of the 2024 Southern 500, Kyle Busch drove from ninth to second on the final restart in what was nearly his 64th career NASCAR Cup win. He was breathing down Briscoe’s neck on the final lap, but he kept it clean, finishing an agonizing second in his final top five finish in any of NASCAR’s crown jewel races. There were a lot of drivers, especially the new stars of the sport, who would have driven right through Briscoe with a playoff spot on the line … But not Rowdy.
To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.
Read the full article here