While NASCAR driver and team owner Kyle Busch is busy on the track, his wife Samantha is having adventures of her own, from food and fitness to fashion and philanthropy.
This week’s NASCAR Behind the Scenes (BTS) focuses on the myriad of activities that this Busch bride of two and half years is juggling and loving every minute of it.
Although petite herself, one of Samantha Busch’s loves is food and cooking, with special emphasis on healthy eating even while on the racing road. She specializes in foods that are quick and easy to prepare in small spaces, such as their motor home.
“The recipes took off when Kyle was in Texas running around with his plate of food,” Samantha Busch said. “I’ve done some video blogs on healthy options and Kyle’s favorites.”
“That’s been really great that people see that you can cook in a little space and in a quick amount of time.”
Busch admits that while she loves to eat healthy and experiment with interesting types of food, she has to try some stealth moves to get the ‘good stuff’ into her husband’s food, as he is not quite so adventurous.
“I tried making zucchini pasta, which was interesting,” Busch said. “It was good but I’m Italian and although it was healthy, it just wasn’t quite pasta.”
“I gave it a try though,” Busch continued. “Food wise, Kyle wouldn’t do the zucchini pasta by any means.”
“So, I have to sneak spinach into his pasta sauce and vegetables into things.”
Samantha Busch does have a dream when it comes to food and her love of cooking. And she would even include her own ‘weird’ food interests in that particular dream.
“One day I hope to put all my recipes together,” Busch said. “I would love to do a cookbook and maybe due that as a fundraiser for the Kyle Busch Foundation.”
“It would also be cool to also have the fans submit their recipes.”
“But I’d need a whole section for me because I eat really weird food,” Busch said. “I usually make myself something and then Kyle something because I eat wacky food.”
“I eat things like tofu and unprocessed soy beans,” Busch continued. “My mom always used to mix things together so I just pile stuff together.”
“I’ll need a whole section on weird, healthy stuff.”
In addition to her weird, healthy food habits, Samantha Busch is also a fitness fanatic. And she does all of her exercising in spite of being on the road and in a motor home for the better part of every weekend throughout the year.
“In Daytona, an RV show from the Travel Channel is coming because they recognize that I do an awful lot, especially exercising, in the little space in our motor home,” Busch said. “I started doing more video blogs, keeping them short and easy, to help people with the proper form needed in working out.”
“Then, I pin the workouts I create on Pinterest, which has been amazing.”
Samantha Busch said that both she and Kyle also enjoy golfing as their newest workout regime, as well as taking their dogs for walks.
One area in which Samantha Busch has become well-known for is her fashion sense, dressing well at an affordable price. She does her fashion research and especially enjoys her design work, whether it is Kyle Busch Motorsports gear or styling shoes on pit road.
“This year I did a dress collection through the Social Dress Shop at the Kyle Busch Motorsports fan club event, which was huge,” Busch said. “We had a lot of our partners there and they were there showing off the dresses and Just Fab, the shoe company, I work with was also there.”
“I also did a new design that launched there,” Busch continued. “It’s a ‘54’ shirt and it’s summery with different colors.”
“Coming out of the ‘54’ is a picture of Kyle doing a burnout,” Busch said. “And this went out really well because all the lady fans were checking it out.”
“With our KBM stuff, it’s been great,” Busch continued. “I’ve taken over the whole women’s collection there.”
“I’m also working with Social Dress Shop, which is a local online company that sells dresses,” Busch said. “They let me choose these budget chic dresses, everything under $80, for their collection.”
“I’m hoping one day I can design with somebody,” Busch continued. “That would be my ultimate goal, especially shoes.”
“To have an affordable trendy shoe line would be the ultimate.”
Probably most important, however, at least to Samantha Busch is her passion for philanthropy and making kids dreams come true, from ice cream parties to building basketball courts, through the Kyle Busch Foundation.
Busch also has innovated unique ways to raise money, from putting sheet metal up for auction on eBay to having fans donate gift cards used to support wish-granting activities for needy children.
“Last year Kyle won the ‘Toyota Dream Build’ with ‘Rowdy Camry’ so that was amazing,” Busch said of another unique fundraising effort. “So, we’ve had that extra money to go out and help.”
“We focus not on giving kids the necessities but giving them the fun stuff that they miss out on,” Busch continued. “That’s where the money goes because we focus on allowing the kids to be kids.”
“The biggest thing when people ask what to do is for people to send gift cards,” Busch said. “This past Christmas, we bought 400 individual Christmas gifts for kids with the gift cards.”
Samantha Busch has been especially grateful for all that the fans have done to support the work of the Kyle Busch Foundation for children in need.
“We’ve done well with the fans support,” Busch said. “It’s really humbling.”
“On our fan club day, one guy came in and gave us his whole paycheck for the day,” Busch continued. “We’ve had little kids come in and give us our allowances and you hate to take it but it’s so sweet.”
“Our Foundation has thrived through fan support and word of mouth,” Busch said. “When they see the kinds of things we do for kids, they want to keep helping.”
With all of her passions, whether food, fitness, fashion or philanthropy, the one thing that keeps Samantha Busch grounded is her love of family, especially now that her parents have moved closer. And of course, she has her eyes on a family of her own, someday down the road.
“It’s great having my mom and dad close to us,” Busch said. “They are huge helps which has freed up more time for me to do more of the Foundation work and more blogs and videos.”
“I don’t know how I did it before,” Busch continued. “They’re always doing something.”
“So between my mom and I we’re really OCD so everything is all lined-up and color-coded,” Busch said. “Kyle comes home and he’s like “Whoa, what went on here?”
“When he goes out of town, my mom spends the night with me and we organize some part of the house,” Busch continued. “We’re kind of weird like that.”
So, what about that question of when the stork will be bringing a little Busch to Kyle and Samantha?
“Yes, everybody’s big question is when we’re going to have kids,” Samantha Busch admitted. “One day.”
“We always talk about it but we haven’t decided,” Busch continued. “But when we do, I’m not going to say anything either.”
“We both really want kids,” Busch said. “I love kids.”
“We want to have our own kids obviously but we also talk about adopting,” Busch continued. “I think that would be amazing.”
“My dad came from Italy and grew up in a very poor town,” Busch said. “So, it would be really cool to go back there and adopt from there.”
Until that time, however, Samantha Busch will continue to focus on her love of food, fitness, fashion and philanthropy. And she loves being busy every minute.
“I like having stuff to do,” Busch said. “KBM is expanding so that keeps me busy.”
“Last year, we got a new house so we’re just about done with the redecorating,” Busch continued. “We love traveling, going late model racing, and being with family.”
“We love to just keep going along.”
For more information about the adventures of Samantha Busch, visit www.samanthabusch.com and the www.kylebuschfoundation.org.
