Unearthed fan video shows who Kyle Busch really was, NASCAR’s darkest hour & Bubba Wallace’s ‘Rowdy’ story

I don’t often get emotional when I write something. Actually this has only happened twice in my life.

When Greg Biffle crashed that plane last Christmas. And last Thursday, when I went from hitting golf balls at the range to praising Kyle Busch.

“This can’t be real,” I kept thinking, as I frantically tried to write something remotely coherent.

I kept waiting for the message from my guy at NASCAR telling me this was wrong. HE he was wrong. To throw the story aside, Kyle Still live.

TWO-TIME NASCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPION KYLE BUSCH TRAGICALLY DIES AT 41 AFTER BEING TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL

I kept refreshing Twitter, hoping to see a post from Bob Pockrass saying Kyle was okay. I kept checking Instagram, hoping to see Samantha Busch share one of those silly videos of her and Kyle that we once rolled our eyes at but assumed were actually happening.

But he was silent. Everything was quiet. The NASCAR world was stunned. For the people who weren’t alive when we lost Dale Earnhardt…

you lost your Dale Earnhardt.

By the way, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say this. That’s how big Kyle Busch was in this sport.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Childress, Samantha Busch, Brexton Busch and NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell stand on the grid during a memorial service for Kyle Busch before the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on May 24, 2026. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Look, I know there’s a race Sunday night. Daniel Suarez won because NASCAR canceled the race due to rain with 27 laps left in the race. I love Daniel Suarez very much. He ended up buying her a Crown Jewel. He won the Cup race with his Spire car. I wish today was about him.

This won’t be about him. I don’t think anyone expected this, right?

We’ll do our best to navigate the reactions, stories and memories. We will talk about Kyle Busch, his wife and the two children he left behind.

Have you seen HE The scene at the track last night? Enjoy your meal. Only in NASCAR.

We will be sad and angry. We will laugh. As incredible as it sounds, we’re going to say goodbye to Kyle Busch.

We will try to do what Rowdy does best; we will hold a demonstration and maybe take a bow at the end. We will see. We will try.

Four tires, enough fuel to last us, and maybe a bag of M&Ms… or Skittles… or a Rowdy energy drink, though I think it was discontinued years ago.

I don’t care! Bring them back. We need them today.

Monday Morning Pit-Stop – ‘How Long Can NASCAR Fans Last?’ edition — LIVE:

Ryan Blaney gave us the best Kyle Busch story we didn’t know we needed

Where should I start today? Really. How do we want to play this? I have already written a long post about Kyle’s passing and will be sure to introduce it later. I have to pay the bills, you know.

But here’s my point… I’ve spent the last four days doing all the serious work. And sad things. And painful things.

I don’t want to be sad today. At least not yet. I think we should laugh. I Always I think we should laugh. Has anyone had a lot of laughs in the last four or five days in NASCAR? I don’t think so.

That’s how we’ll start this lesson. We will remember Kyle as he was first closed runway – an adult-sized child in the best way possible:

WWE FANS THANK KYLE BUSCH FOR 24/7 CHAMPION

Kyle Busch was more than just an elite NASCAR driver

Unbelievable. Unbelievable. For years, NASCAR Twitter has been using the Kyle Busch meme that lies beneath the curtain, and I never knew the story behind it.

And it’s perfect.

She went out with a group of young men and tried to keep up with them, got drunk and spent the next day lying on the floor while everyone else was being interviewed. It’s very simple. This is a guy I would want to hang out with.

Someone who never takes himself too seriously. Someone who just wants to go out and have fun with the guys. Someone enjoys life.

Kyle Busch celebrates the final win of his NASCAR career at Dover Motor Speedway. (Photo: David Hahn/Icon Sportswire)

We all knew NASCAR driver Kyle Busch. Two-time champion. The winningest driver ever. The guy who is extremely competitive on the track and does it all – and I mean Anyway – it was necessary to win.

But he was also, as Ryan said, an all-around good guy off the track, too. She would go on trips and dance on tables with Samantha Busch. He would go into TikTok videos. He would tie one up with the boys and sleep in the media center the next day.

He was by far the best driver of my generation. But he also loved his fans and LOVED to have fun:

Dad Kyle and mentor Kyle

Oh my god. I can’t believe we lost that guy last week. It still doesn’t seem real. It doesn’t seem fair though. Damn, this will never seem fair.

This isn’t fair. This is not true. It doesn’t make any sense.

Kyle leaves behind his wife, Samantha, and two children (Brexton and Lennix). As always with these things, this is by far the worst part. Children.

God, I can’t even imagine what the last few days have been like for them. All three were on track last night before the longest race of the year and it was one of the most powerful moments I can remember.

NASCAR’S TRUCK SERIES AND O’REILLY AUTOPARTS SERIES HONORED KYLE BUSCH WITH QUIET MOMENTS IN CHARLOTTE

Not just in NASCAR history, but in all sports:

You know, I’m giving NASCAR a lot of grief. I complain a lot. I’m calling them too much. They’re all justified, but I’m still probably a little too harsh on them sometimes.

Therefore, I would like to congratulate them here. I thought NASCAR handled everything great last night. They nailed this. I thought Steve O’Donnell was excellent all weekend long. He was promoted to CEO of NASCAR a month ago. This was his first real test.

And it was perfect.

If this whole deal has shown us anything, it’s how close a family they are. All NASCAR’s. I’m talking about everyone from the fans to the drivers and owners.

Fans can access these drives they haven’t entered any other sports. We are growing together. We are getting closer. We meet their children, their spouses, and their parents. We see ourselves as part of their family.

You don’t get that in the NFL or Major League Baseball. That’s what makes NASCAR special. Closeness in this sport Always That’s what made it special.

Scenes from Charlotte and Kyle’s breakup message

Do you understand? A family. Who would have thought in a million years that Bubba Wallace and Rowdy Nation would get along so well? But it doesn’t matter here. At times like these you put all the nonsense aside. Come together. You help each other. You will get through this together.

That’s what a family does. That’s what NASCAR does best.

From John H:

“Three races. Each one ended under caution. I hate Cup cars more and more every time I look at them. But Kyle Busch was my favorite driver, and I loved the tributes and memories of him. So all in all, it was a pretty good weekend at the track. It’s sad. But this was the NASCAR family at their best.”

Amen, John. Definitely. Today is not the day to complain about races. we can do this other 51 Mondays of the year (and we do!).

But this weekend wasn’t about the race. For me, it was NASCAR coming together in its darkest moment and showing us why we fell in love with the sport.

OK, a few more notes from the weekend on the way out:

A few things…

1. It was brutal watching them unload Kyle’s rebranded No. 33 Chevy. Enjoy your meal.
2. For the kidnappers, Richard Childress said RCR would park Kyle’s No. 8 car until Brexton wanted to drive it. I would mark 2033 on your calendars at home.
3. This aspect of Dale Jr. was perfect. No one captures a moment like Junior.
4. Was last night the first Cup race without Busch or Earnhardt since 1979? Perhaps the most striking statistic I’ve ever heard. Wild.

OK, that’s it for today. This wasn’t the most fun we’ve ever had in Monday classes, but I thought we did a good job. I hope everyone had a few laughs. God knows we need this right now.

Here’s Kyle Busch at the exit, following his 234th and final NASCAR victory at Dover 10 days ago. I wrote it on Friday (there’s the shameless plug I promised), but it’s worth another listen.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

There’s a lesson here for all of us.

See you next week.