Kyle Busch hailed as 'phenonmenal driver' after his death | Katie Pavlich Tonight

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]Yeah, it's it's it's tragic and and there's no other word for it. Um so unexpected. Five or six days ago, he's standing in victory lane uh as as the winner, as the guy. Uh and how prophetic when he said it's so it you cherish these because you never know when the last one will come. And I I don't think anyone could have foresaw what was going to happen this week. Listen, we're going to hear a lot about Kyle Bush and we're going to hear the word great and greatness thrown around a lot, but it's only fitting for Kyle Bush. He was a great race car driver, one of the most phenomenal talents to come along. I I grew up with my dad watching my dad race. I saw the great Tim Richmond come along with natural talent. No one, not many people that I ever see in my career have the natural talent that a Kyle Bush had. And it was, this is going to leave a gap and a hole. We are a small community and this happened to a small community, meaning motorsports. Uh, and we all grieve tonight for Samantha, for those children, for his father and mother, and for his brother Kurt.

[00:01:06]>> Yeah. His daughter just had her fourth birthday just a couple of days ago. It's just also heartbreaking. Um, Mike Bush won the truck race at the Dover Motor Speedway last week. This is what he said in one of his final interviews.

[00:01:18]>> Your 69th victory in this series, your fifth right here. Why do these moments never get old, Kyle?

[00:01:25]>> Because you never know when the last one is, you know. So, uh, >> what does that tell you about the kind of competitor and person that Kyle Bush was? Grateful for every moment, obviously.

[00:01:37]>> Yeah, I mean, and uh, Kyle, I'm sorry for uh, your loss as well with the racing community. I know it's definitely a tough day all across sports, but yeah, I mean, as you just saw right there, I mean, there's so many different words that you could talk about when you're mentioning Kyle Bush. Obviously, dominance, 234 career victories, not just in, you know, your regular race car, uh, what people consider NASCAR and racing, but across all of motorsports, the top three, obviously different, uh, racing categories, he absolutely crushed it. And then also beyond that though, he was a competitor, super competitive. He made people feel something in a sport that was desperate for feelings. I I honestly because when I was growing up, I was young and everything, you know, and gravitated to Kyle Bush before I started covering him and uh it was almost like he was a WWE wrestler. He was a hero. He was a villain. He was a heel, but he embraced it. He would jump on top of cars. He, you know, down here in Nashville when he won in 2009, the trophy was a guitar. So, what did Kyle Bush do? He smashed the guitar.

[00:02:45]>> So, that's what he did. No matter if you loved him or you hated him, you could not deny how talented he was. And more importantly, he made people feel something. He was authentic and that's all you can ask for, especially in the sport of racing. And you know, especially in the later years as he kept getting up, you know, he was 41.

[00:03:05]>> I think a lot of fans that might have disliked him or had, you know, negative feelings towards him because he was a bad boy. Literally, he was a bad boy.

[00:03:12]His, you know, his nickname was a rowdy and wild thing. Um, I think they turned and began really appreciating him because he never sold out. He didn't turn cor corporate or anything and he continued racing and that's all you can ask for is that authenticity. It's just a sad day all around for racing fans as well as the sports community.

[00:03:32]>> Yeah. Dale Nhard Jr. posted that they had challenges between each other, but they eventually sat down and worked them out and he deeply respected the way that he handled uh his racing, his family, the community. Um, Kyle, you mentioned that the NASCAR community is a tight-knit one. Have you heard anything from the Bush family or other racers, uh, people who are just, you know, what what are people saying to you tonight in your group chats? And what what are you hearing from people in the industry?

[00:03:58]>> Yeah. No, everybody has just has reached out to each other. Um, and that is that is what a small community does. Um, you reach out to make sure that your friends are okay, that your family's okay, you tell someone you love them, you hug your kids a little bit tighter. Uh, and I I think that's what what everybody's going to Kyle Bush touched everyone's life in this sport, whether it be the truck series or the O'Reilly series or the Cup series and every fan, whether you loved him, whether you hate him, he touched your life in some way, shape, or form.

[00:04:32]And the one thing that everyone talks about is the respect that they had for his talent and his ability. What he could do with a car, what he could do that no one else seemingly could do at certain times. Kyle made it look just incredibly simple. Two championships, all those wins, everything he did in the end was not as important to him as Brexton and that little girl and his wife Samantha. You see it in their videos. You see it in in him taking Brexton to the racetrack. being a dad was maybe one of the happiest moments of his life. Uh and and being able to pass on his love for this sport. So I I think we're all it we're still in shock. This whole community is still in shock. It happened so fast. It's tragic in the way that Davy Allison's accident was. It's tragic in the way that we lost Alan Kiki. Unexpected, not on a racetrack.

[00:05:21]Something totally different that kind of blindsides you as a driver and as a competitor. You don't see things like this coming. Uh it happens in everyday life, but you'd never think it touches your community. Uh and Kyle Bush, it touched our community.

[00:05:36]>> So, uh Mike, uh Kyle was supposed to compete tomorrow. Uh what do you think that that race is going to look like in terms of the fans coming together to to honor him and grapple with the fact he's not going to be there?

[00:05:49]>> Yeah, it I mean, probably one of the toughest days in racing. I mean, Kyle, would you I mean, like, literally I mean, it's literally I mean, and and what's wild about it is his family tweeted out uh earlier today that he was um admitted into the hospital. Eight hours later, Kyle Bush was dead.

[00:06:08]Eight hours later, he was in theos since going into the hospital, he was gone.

[00:06:12]That just shows you how fragile life is, but also how much of a shock this is.

[00:06:16]And also just I mean, it's terrible. And three days ago he tweeted out about an um his son Brexton and who turned 11 years old. And Brexen, you know, is is supposed, you know, is from all accounts from within the racing community a really good driver and like was building it up and the whole family aspect and it's just an absolute shame. So what you will see tomorrow is a lot of tears and throughout the weekend um the shock aspect but also just the fact that you lost one of the literally one of the greatest drivers I would say Petty into uh Junior Erard Jr. into Jimmy Johnson and then Kyle Bush is four or five. You want to throw in Jeff Gordon Tony Stewart whatever. So, you lost one of the top five drivers of all time unexpectedly. 41 years old, loved his family and so quickly and um >> yeah, >> but the NASCAR community does it like nobody else does and um you know, they will honor him and never forget him.

[00:07:13]>> A lot of people will will be watching.

[00:07:15]Um there's a race tomorrow. There's a competition tomorrow. Uh what would you say to the drivers and how they can honor uh Kyle Bush's legacy uh by just getting back on the track and doing what he would have done which is try to win?

[00:07:30]>> Yeah. You know, and and we all say that, you know, let's do what Kyle would want us to do and Kyle would want you to race because Kyle is just there is no fiercer competitor it seemed like at certain times than than Kyle Bush. But you race different. You race with a heavy heart.

[00:07:45]you race with with Kyle sitting beside of you in that car, you know, you feel you feel that his presence and and I think that's what what you you'll see at the racetrack. There's nothing sadder than that truck that should have been there, that car that should have been there, that's not there, that's not there in formation, that's not there on pit road, the driver that's not there at at driver introduction. And it's not going to happen just this week that you get over it. This will be months, if not years, before we realize uh that Kyle's not here anymore because we're gonna look for him. You're going to look for him when they drop the green flag.

[00:08:20]You're going to look for him when they throw the checkered flag. And that will continue on for a a pretty long time.

[00:08:26]Tomorrow will be sad. This weekend will be sad and it'll carry on. Uh, but the sport will carry on and and Kyle Bush will always, always, always be a huge part of this sport because like I said before, the word greatness goes right along with Kyle Bush.

[00:08:43]>> Absolutely. Well, Kyle Petty and Mike Gonzelman, thank you for joining me tonight to talk about everybody.

[00:08:48]>> Yes. Hug hug your loved ones and count every minute. Great to see you. Thank you. We'll be right back.

[00:08:53]>> Thank you for watching. Subscribe below and download our NewsNation app right now on your phone and you will get fact-based, unbiased news for all Americans.