|
 |
 |
|
Nevada natives Kurt and Kyle Busch have made a name for themselves in NASCAR. Their family moved to Vegas in the 1970’s before Las Vegas was a town of bright flashing lights. The Busch brothers grew up watching Vegas grow and now they come back here every year for the Nextel Cup Series and it’s easy for them to see just how far this town has come. Kurt Busch, 29, and Kyle Busch, 22, have raced against each other several times. Their first race together was at the Nextel Cup in 2004 right on their home racetrack, the Las Vegas motor speedway.
Both brothers exhibit very similar styles on the racetrack. They are both extremely aggressive behind the wheel and unafraid to take chances. Their aggression has even got them into trouble on some occasions. Kurt Busch has gotten into fights with several professional drivers including one altercation with Jimmy Spencer that both drivers were suspended for. Kurt stopped his car in front of Spencer’s garage, revved his engine, and threatened Spencer. During the race their cars collided and during the collision, Spencer reached into Kurt’s car and punched him in the face. Both were put on probation for the remainder of the season. Every since the fight, Kurt has had problems getting the attention of fans and he has participated in several charity events since to gain fans.
Kurt’s entrance into NASCAR came by chance after Chris Trickle was shot and killed in a gruesome and still unsolved murder. After his death, Busch was asked to take his place and he actually ended up wining the 1998 AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series Rookie of the Year. He also went on to win the championship in 1999. His brother, Kyle was only four years old at the time.
Keeping up his rebel image, Kurt was also pulled over for suspicion of DUI in 2005. Later reports stated that the sobriety equipment had failed and test results were inconclusive. However, NASCAR didn’t take lightly to these charges and Busch was yanked from the race. Kenny Wallace took his spot for the final two races of the season.
Although younger brother Kyle hasn’t received quite as much media attention as his older brother, he is receiving plenty of attention on the track. Kyle received Rookie of the Year honors at the Nextel Cup in 2005 which was the first year that he drove an entire season. Since then, Kyle and Kurt have continued to battle it out on the racetrack. Fans love the idea of two brothers competing against each other. Everyone loves sibling rivalry. However, in May of 2007 that rivalry went too far when the two collided on the track causing a huge wreck. Luckily no one was injured, but as siblings often do—they blamed each other.
Recently Kyle Busch announced that he would be leaving Hendrick Motorsports after finishing the 2007 season. It was later announced that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would be taking Busch’s place on the team. Kyle Busch now races for Joe Gibbs racing.
Kurt Busch is credited with being runner-up in the closest finish ever in NASCAR at Darlington Raceway. Busch lost the race to Ricky Crave, who finished .002 seconds before Busch in a photo finish.
The Busch boys have become famous in the world of NASCAR and they are favorites according to Las Vegas fans. They are considered bad boys a little bit in the NASCAR world. However, the fans seem unaffected. People just can’t help but fall in love with two bad boys from Las Vegas?!
|
