NASCAR's Kurt Busch Remembers His Brother Kyle
All There Is with Anderson Cooper
In this emotional episode of 'All There Is with Anderson Cooper,' NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch opens up about the sudden passing of his younger
Key takeaways
- Kurt and Kyle Busch shared an intense sibling rivalry that evolved into profound brotherly respect and emotional connection.
- Their relationship was defined by a silent, intuitive communication on the racetrack—what Kurt describes as an 'unspoken language' or 'mind meld.'
Main topics
- Sibling rivalry in professional sports
- Grief and loss of a close family member
Notable quotes
"You're going to live a longer life on four tires than you will on two." – Kurt Busch's father, explaining why he gave him a go-kart instead of a dirt bike.
"It was like a slingshot moment of just now he's going to the stratosphere on who he wanted to be in this sport and ended up winning the championship that year."
Conclusion
Kurt Busch's heartfelt conversation with Anderson Cooper reveals the depth of his relationship with Kyle—a
Transcript preview
Speaker 3 (0:00) Wherever you are in the world and in your grief, I'm glad you're here. You're not alone. My guest today on the podcast is NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Kurt Busch. He's grieving the recent death of his younger brother, NASCAR champion Kyle Busch. On May 21st, 2026, Kyle died from severe pneumonia that progressed quickly into sepsis. He was just 41 years old. Kurt was born six years ahead of Kyle. Their dad, Tom, worked as a mechanic and raced locally, passing on his racing knowledge to his sons. Kurt and Kyle were fierce competitors when they were racing against each other, but they also cheered each other on. Kurt retired from full-time racing with NASCAR in 2023 after suffering a concussion the year before. He's still an active driver, however. Kyle was married to his wife, Samantha, and they have two children, Lennox, who's four now, and Brexton, who's 11 and is already racing. I sat down with Kurt Busch in Washington, D.C. You were six when Kyle was born. Yeah, we're six years apart. I was like, oh Speaker 2 (1:04) man, Speaker 3 (1:05) I Speaker 2 (1:05) thought I was going to be an only child. Now you're here. Were you always interested in racing? Oh yeah. Our life, cars. Cars, cars, cars. My grandfather, who I never met on my dad's side, he was a used car salesman. I didn't know that. That's cool. And then my dad, he was an auto mechanic and a tool salesman. And then he had his street rods and then we had his race car in the garage. So there's always cars to... touch, feel, and work on. In the 80s, all my buddies in Vegas, I grew up in Las Vegas, they all had dirt bikes. I'm like, dad, dad, maybe Speaker 3 (1:36) Christmas, can Speaker 2 (1:37) I get a dirt bike? I really wanted a dirt bike too. Right? On Christmas day, so I go out in the yard and there's this go-kart. It's all shiny and orange and looks awesome. I'm like, man, I want a dirt bike. And he said this to me, and I didn't quite comprehend it at that age. I was seven or eight. And he said, son, you're going to live a longer life on four tires than you will on two. And that's where it started. How did you actually start racing? My dad let me drive his race car when I turned 16. And then we built the car, and me and my dad raced together. It was like just father-son. You would race against your dad? Yeah. And I beat him in my second race ever. We started traveling around. It was like when the bushes showed up, everyone's like, oh, we're running for third now. Right? I mean, when we went to the track, my dad, it was no social hour. It was, we're here for the trophy. We're not here to make friends. And so that was instilled in me and it got instilled in Kyle as well. Just all those years, it was like he was putting me through this racing education that I didn't even think that it would turn out the way that it did. When was your first professional race? I was 19 years old. The race was live on ESPN. Like this was the big moment. And I won that race. And then my name just like you feel this aura of who's this kid? What's going on? And I'm racing in the Cup Series by 22 years old. Wow. When did you notice Kyle's interest? Or was it just always a given? Everything that I did, he wanted to do just as good at the same time. Even Speaker 3 (3:10) though he's six years younger. Yeah, Speaker 2 (3:11) I'm 19. And he's... watching his older brother on TV winning races, and he's just starting out. Age 12, I think, is when things opened up with the little legend car races. What are legend car races? They're motorcycle-powered cars. It's a great, great spec division car to learn how to race in. I mean, they'll go over 100 miles an hour. Wow. My nephew, Brexton, he's 11. This is Kyle's son. Kyle's son. He's already racing in those legend cars. Wow. Just imagine your older brother's doing all this and he's 12. And he was just as fast as me when I'd come back and race a few of those legend car races. At 12, he was Speaker 3 (3:52) just as fast as you in racing legend cars. Yes. Speaker 2 (3:55) How was that possible? He was watching me. He's working on the cars, just doing everything. But he's doing everything just at turbo speed following me. I got him in the truck series at age 16. He's racing in professional ranks. At 16. So that's where we're a little different. For me, I was flunking out of college, got an opportunity to race, and I won in this race at Vegas. And I just got out in victory lane. I'm like, this is what I got to do. For him, it was just fast track just to get to where I already was, which was in the NASCAR Cup Series. I just caught a lucky break. For him, I think he was hell-bent on getting there. Speaker 3 (4:31) In 2001, you had won. a race and I think you said something to the effect of like you think I'm good wait till you Speaker 2 (4:40) see my younger brother I did what I could everywhere I went to leave a bridge open and to leave a road paved for him to go through there was times when we would have some like heart-to-heart talks and be like man my first ever NASCAR race they booed me because you Am I? Well, you'll make your own name, bud. So there's a little bit of that friction of the sibling rivalry when he first got to Cup. He felt like he was in your shadow. Yeah, and I gave him a tainted name because I was having some feuds with some rival drivers and the fans, they were booing me. It was all right. But his friction with people and his tenacity, mine was aggressive. His was doubly aggressive because he knew he was that good. Speaker 3 (5:25) For people who don't know racing, he was known for his attitude. He was known for saying what was on his mind. Speaker 2 (5:33) And he had no recoil with it. He was fine with it. He didn't care. He didn't care. He took the black hat and rolled with it. Speaker 3 (5:42) There's a video of you two. This was in 2012. I'm just going to put this. Speaker 2 (5:48) The engine stayed together as we were overheating all day long. Just all the guys, man. This is a great day for Monster Energy. And this guy right here. I'm so proud of you. You proud of me? You all right as Speaker 1 (5:59) a Speaker 2 (5:59) driver? Speaker 1 (6:00) You scared the hell out of me, but you made it happen. That's all that matters. He Speaker 2 (6:03) told me what to do driving like at lap 40. And I was like, here we go. Here's the owner. Tell him the driver. Speaker 1 (6:08) Get on the wheel. Speaker 2 (6:09) How to drive. So no, just got to thank Monster and Tag Heuer, our guys at Toyota. This was an unbelievable race. And the fans here nationwide. It's a great series to run. And I'm happy to. run here this year, half the season with Kyle. You can feel all that joy, right? And then I turn to see you, and I'm like, damn it, yeah, he's gone. I keep trying to go back to those memories of good when people ask me about things or want to talk. That's one of