Kurt Busch Re-Lives His All-Star Rivalry with Brother Kyle Busch

If we are to compare brothers Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch purely based on numbers, the younger one would come out on top. He outscored Kurt in every facet of NASCAR racing, be it championships, race wins, top fives, you name it. Make no mistake, when both brothers put their helmets on Sunday, they were only focused on the checkered flags, and this competitive nature sparked one of the fiercest NASCAR rivalries.

Kurt Busch had already bagged his championship in 2004, and the very next year, his little brother entered the big stage, aiming for the same glory. But then came the 2007 All-Star race, and with a million dollars on the line along with the checkered flag, flared the tension between the two brothers. The beating and banging ultimately led to a wreck and some stern words by Kurt Busch, “I think he realized that, and I hope it helps him, wrecking with his brother, that he can mature in a stronger fashion and a quicker fashion.”

Although the two brothers have made peace with each other, Kurt couldn’t help but light the fire once again with his sarcastic jab aimed at his brother. The two brothers were racing side-by-side when Kurt squeezed Kyle onto the apron of Charlotte Motor Speedway. With 19 laps to go, both of them were in contention for the win, and this is where Rowdy tried to bite more than he could chew. He forced the issue with a dive-bomb move on the No. 97 car. Well. Kurt used his experience and took the outside lane, while Kyle was desperately trying to keep his car straight after going sideways. And what happened next has been the topic of discussion for a long time. Rowdy, unable to keep control of his car, also darted up the racetrack and made contact with Kurt’s car, leading to a big crash.

Looking back at the incident, the former 23xi Racing driver took to Instagram and shared his take on the crash. “Yeah, I pinched him a little bit…but he couldn’t keep track of his steering wheel. You decide?” Those who have followed the sport from that era would know that this crash would to a rift between the two brother and would not talk each for six month. It was their grandmother who brokered the peace between them during the Thanksgiving dinner later that year.

“It’s tough when it’s for a million bucks… To me, it wasn’t really that big of a deal. It seemed more a stinger for Kyle. We can chalk that up to youth. It was fine at Thanksgiving and Christmas after that. It’s just one of those moments when brothers have to test each other, and neither one of us wanted to back down. In the end, it made us stronger together.” Kurt Busch revealed.

Now we’ve seen Kyle Busch get into fights with Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., but for the time being, he’s battling himself. After a dismal 2024 outing, the RCR driver is trying to find his confidence and winning mojo.

Is Kyle Busch ever going to win another NASCAR Cup race?

Since Gateway 2023, Kyle Busch has not reached Victory Lane. It is not for the lack of trying, because he did not become a bad driver overnight. Busch has been putting in impressive drives, but almost always coming up short of the win. Be it the Daytona fall race last year or this year’s COTA event, he came oh so close to bagging a fourth win with RCR, but for some reason, he has fallen short. Thanks to that, it snapped a 19-year streak of winning at least one race, and he missed out on a 20th consecutive season.

Last year, he came ever so close to extending that streak on three different occasions. In Atlanta, he was 3rd in a 3-wide finish for the race win, and then at Daytona and Darlington, he finished as the runner-up. The worst part was that those two races were crucial because those were his last chances to enter the Playoffs. Sadly, he lost out to Harrison Burton and Chase Briscoe, respectively, and he was out of Playoff contention for the first time since his debut season.

Although we’ve seen pace from the No. 8 RCR car at the drafting tracks in 2025, the inconsistency is hampering his progress big time. In the last three races, Rowdy hasn’t been able to register a top 10 finish. Ahead of the Kansas weekend, he is placed right on the bubble in the 16th place when it comes to points standings, and one bad result would see him plunge back in the danger zone.

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