Toyota Racing – Kyle Busch
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
DAYTONA BEACH (February 16, 2022) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch was made available to media prior to the Daytona 500 this Wednesday:
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
What is your interaction and opinion of BJ McLeod?
“I love BJ (McLeod). I think he’s a great guy, a great individual. Very kind in his ways. We’ve had lots of discussions over the course of our time here, his time. We come from similar backgrounds with Super Late Models. He’s raced there for a long time and now he’s getting into NASCAR trying to make his way here and things like that being a team owner on the Xfinity side. Racing and being a team owner now on the Cup Series side as well. Just the way he conducts himself and goes about himself and goes about himself on the race track too. He’s always been very fair. Always tries to be out of the way as much as possible and just minds his own business per say while looking out for others while on the race track and I’ve never had any issues with him. I feel like he’s done a good job and worked a lot and has a lot of self-awareness of the sport.”
How much fun did you have participating in the Monday Night Racing league?
“It’s been fun. Ford (Martin) and I, we’ve known each other for a long time obviously. He and I, we’ve had a relationship. He invited me to join the league a couple years ago before it kind of took off. I feel like it’s kind of taken off the last couple years which has been really cool. We’ve gotten a lot of guys in there, good guys that race hard and run hard for wins and stuff like that. Double-edged sword for me, there’s better competition so now I’m getting beat, but I did win a couple times this year which was cool and ran up front a bunch too when I was able to chime in. But, overall, I enjoy it and being able to sponsor it this year. Just put our name on it and have some fun with it, be able to do some giveaways and some fan interactions and stuff like that on social. That’s been a bit of where we’ve excelled with it, I feel like for us and our brand. The season of it, now that we’re into our NASCAR season I’m like, ‘Man, I kind of wish I was still going.’ But, on the other hand I’m like, no I don’t because I know I’m going to get too busy to join in a lot. I’m looking forward to the next season that starts up.”
What are your thoughts on the transition to talking more about sports betting?
“I’m all ears. I’m open to it. I wouldn’t say – I don’t have any reservations on anything like that to it. I’ve had friends that have bet on NASCAR races for years and have just kind of told me that ‘I’ve won such and such money on you.’ Or ‘Thanks for winning today.’ Some friends of mine from years ago put money on me to win the championship in 2015 before I even broke my legs and stuff like that, so when I got hurt, they were like, you screwed me this year, you’re out.’ And then I won, and they were like ‘man, thanks!’ With our regulations, being athletes in this sport, we’re not allowed to do any of that stuff. It really doesn’t affect me, but for outside eyeballs on the sport with sports betters and being a part of NASCAR and seeing who’s going to beat who. There are so many different ways of bets these days that it is not as simple as one or two or three bets, it’s hundreds that you can choose from, which is interesting. I think it lends itself to a different crowd.”
What do you do to help Brexton racing?
“It’s been really fun to work with him. When we started, we went three laps down in an eight-lap heat race. It was painful. But he learned. He just wanted to go to the racetrack and make circles and it was so frustrating as a dad knowing that he could do this. I was like come on step on the gas, let’s go to just let him get his bearings, get his feet wet and feel it out and let him figure out what is happening. At five years old, I don’t even remember five years old and figure out making circles. I can see how that is a bit tough and challenging for someone like that. He will turn seven in May. He’s very young for his age. He’s doing well. We are having fun. He’s in quarter midgets, junior sprints, outlaw karts going across the country. We’ve got three races out in California when we are out there. In Phoenix, we’ve got three races when were there. I’ve built out his schedule with like 80 shows this year, but we are not going to hit them all. I just put them on the calendar. I guarantee you that he runs 50-60 races this year at least. That’s going to be a lot for a six-year-old.”
Is his racing a good escape for you?
“He’s honestly taught me a little bit too. As I’m his driver coach, I’m helping him through things and I’m thinking – I’m on the sidelines and I’m like okay, what do I need to tell him? How can I explain this to a six-year-old so when he comes off the racetrack to go over things and watch film, I can talk to him about it? Now I’m using that too myself as I’m driving around the racetrack. I’m like okay, DA. Do this, look at this differently. Don’t screw this up. Hey, you need to throw it into the top a little higher. You missed that corner, that was dumb. Just certain things in that nature. I’m talking to myself, driver coaching myself a lot more now. Whether that is good or bad, we’ll find out.”
What benefits have you seen with your brother, Kurt, as part of the Toyota family?
“Nothing yet. We’ve only had one race and one competition meeting. We haven’t had a whole lot yet. So far, the things that I kind of said and Denny kind of said from our post-race at the Coliseum – he was online with a bunch of that as well too. He’s kind of adding in a little bit about his experiences over the last couple of races being with the Chevy guys, being with Ganassi and kind of what they were doing and how they were going about things. That’s all processes that I think are now completely different than what our current processes are now that we are in the new car. A little bit on the engine that was a little bit different. TRD should be leaning on him a lot because he’s very – he understands and sees what is happening and can explain some of that.”
Is there any chance we can see him in a KBM truck at some point?
“If he’s got any money, sure.”
What is your approach to superspeedways at this point in your career?
“I feel like Denny (Hamlin) does a pretty good job of preparing the most. As we’ve seen, he’s won three of the last seven 500s. He’s getting the most out of it as well. I don’t know what his preparations are, but they are probably different than mine which have become more fruit for him than me. Maybe I need to change something, but in reality, I feel like it’s so circumstantial anyways, I’m like ‘What is the point?’ Do your certain amount of study, watch film and talk to your guys and strategize what you can, but past that – I was leading the Daytona 500 a few years ago and had a flat left rear, crashed. I was leading the Daytona 500 with 13 laps to go and blew up. Running top-eight, top-10 most of the day, another year, finished second or third in that one. Whatever happens, happens. You could be running fourth going into (turn) three and win the race or be leading and get wrecked. What’s to study?”
What is the process with the new sponsorship like for you?
“The relationship has been fantastic – the relationship we’ve had with Mars, since 2008. They’ve been in the sport for almost 30 years, and been with me for 15 of those, so it’s been fantastic. It’s just unfortunate times of change and things like that. New regime at the top that comes in and I guess, don’t see the value, so we’re moving on. Overall, we’re in the process of looking and searching for new partners being involved with myself and Joe Gibbs Racing and hopefully, being able to take me into retirement – I guess you could say. If I’ve got five, six, eight, 10 years left, whatever – I would like to have a partner that could hang on that long and call it good. That would be a perfect world – a perfect storm, to not have to go after five people to replace one to take over 30 races, with Interstate having six. That’s just a part of where we are at right now. I’d love to be involved. I would love to be able to put Fortune 500 companies on the wall and start picking the ones you want to go after, which ones you want to have as your sponsors, but in reality, it doesn’t work that easy. Certain companies have different values or objectives on what they want to accomplish in marketing. Lowes, Home Depot – they got rid of all sports marketing in general completely, so there are going to be companies like that, that just don’t see it. Hopefully, we can find some that do.”
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