Kurt Thomas Busch

Born to Thomas and Gaye Busch in Las Vegas, Nevada, Busch began racing at age 14 in a Dwarf car at Pahrump Valley Speedway, introduced to the sport by his father. He also competed in IMCA Modified racing early in his career. After graduating from Durango High School, he enrolled at the University of Arizona with the intention of earning a degree in pharmacy.

Busch's career opportunity came when Chris Trickle was critically injured in an unsolved shooting and later died. Trickle's No. 70 team, sponsored by Star Nursery, sought a replacement, and Busch stepped in. He gained national attention in the 1997 Winter Heat Series at Tucson Speedway, competing against Ron Hornaday Jr., Matt Crafton, Greg Biffle, and Kevin Harvick. He won Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series in 1998 and secured the series championship in 1999. This success earned him a spot in the Roush Racing "Gong Show", where he won a Craftsman Truck Series ride driving the No. 99 Ford F-150. He achieved four victories, finished second in the championship standings to teammate Greg Biffle, and was named Rookie of the Year.

Roush Racing announced during the 2000 season that Busch would bypass the Busch Series and move directly to the Winston Cup Series for 2001, replacing Chad Little in the No. 97 Ford. Busch took over at Dover in September 2000, recording a best finish of thirteenth at Charlotte across seven late-season starts.

In 2001, Busch drove an initially unsponsored car before Roush secured a multi-year deal with Rubbermaid's Sharpie marker brand. He recorded three Top 5 and six Top 10 finishes. During the 2001 Daytona 500, on lap 85, Dale Earnhardt made door-to-door contact with Busch and responded with a middle-finger gesture at 185 mph — a moment captured by Fox Sports replay cameras that prompted commentator Mike Joy to say, "Kurt, you're number one." Earnhardt died in a crash on the race's final lap. Until Busch's final race in 2022, he remained the last active driver to have raced against Earnhardt in the Cup Series.

The 2002 season was Busch's breakout year. He secured his first victory at the Food City 500 in Bristol, outdueling Jimmy Spencer on worn tires, then won at Martinsville, Atlanta, and the season finale at Homestead — four wins total. He achieved twelve top-five and twenty top-ten finishes, finishing third in the final points standings. He became the first driver in NASCAR history to win the most races in his first winning season, a record later matched by Carl Edwards in 2005.

In 2003, Busch secured four wins, including a season sweep at Bristol — the first driver to achieve this since Rusty Wallace in 2000. At Darlington in the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, he and Ricky Craven battled intensely for the lead over the final lap; Craven edged Busch by .002 seconds, marking the closest finish in NASCAR history at the time.

In 2004, Busch won three races and captured the inaugural NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship, the first season to feature "The Chase for the Championship". He achieved his fourth consecutive win at Bristol in the Food City 500 and became the second driver to sweep both races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in a single season. During the championship race at Homestead, a flat tire on lap 93 sent Busch toward the pit road access road, but he avoided the barrels, recovered, and secured the title.

In 2005, Busch announced he would leave Roush Racing at the end of the season to replace Rusty Wallace in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge for Penske Racing South.

In 2006 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Busch won the Food City 500 — his fifth win at the track — celebrating by making a snow angel on the track due to the snow that weekend. That year, he also joined an elite group of 36 drivers to win races in all three of NASCAR's top divisions: the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Camping World Truck Series.

During the 2008 Daytona 500, Busch pushed teammate Ryan Newman to victory on the final lap — Penske's first Daytona 500 win. In June 2008, Busch broke a 29-race winless streak with a rain-shortened victory at New Hampshire.

In 2009, Busch dominated the Kobalt Tools 500, leading 235 of 325 laps for his 19th Sprint Cup victory. He finished fourth in the championship standings — the highest-ranked driver outside Hendrick Motorsports. In May 2010, Kurt won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and followed it with victory in the Coca-Cola 600, becoming just the seventh driver to win both in the same year.

In 2011, Busch won the Budweiser Shootout, the Gatorade Duel 1, and — after Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s practice crash — started from the front of the Daytona 500. He secured his first road course win at Infineon Raceway, leading 76 laps. He also won at Dover, which proved to be his last win for Penske Racing.

Busch's tenure at Penske was marked by public confrontations. He physically confronted NASCAR.com reporter Joe Menzer at Richmond and tore up a transcript during a press conference. In the final race of 2011 at Homestead, after a transmission failure, Busch verbally abused an ESPN cameraman; the incident, posted on YouTube, drew widespread criticism. NASCAR fined him US$50,000 and Penske issued an apology. On December 5, 2011, Busch's employment with Penske ended; A. J. Allmendinger was named as his replacement in the No. 22 car.

After leaving Penske, Busch opted for an early-season agreement with Phoenix Racing to drive the No. 51 Chevrolet. He established a sponsorship deal with Monster Energy and also raced the No. 54 car in the Nationwide Series alongside his brother Kyle. In July 2012, Busch won the Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeño 250 at Daytona, overtaking Austin Dillon on the final lap. Later that year, NASCAR suspended him for violations following an altercation with a reporter and an incident with Ryan Newman's pit stall.

Busch joined Furniture Row Racing in the No. 78 Chevrolet SS for 2013, replacing Regan Smith. After a slow start — including a 28th-place finish in the Daytona 500 — he rebounded with consistent mid-season performances. He qualified for the Chase, marking Furniture Row Racing's first-ever Chase appearance, and ultimately finished tenth in the final standings.

Busch announced his move to Stewart–Haas Racing on August 26, 2013, under a multi-year contract, driving the No. 41.

In 2014, Busch won the STP 500 at Martinsville — his first win since 2011 — in a thrilling battle with Jimmie Johnson for the lead in the final laps. He also attempted to complete the full 1,100 miles across the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day; an engine failure on lap 273 at Charlotte ended his effort 191 miles short.

In 2015, NASCAR indefinitely suspended Busch on February 20 following a Delaware family court's finding regarding an alleged incident with his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll. Regan Smith replaced him for the Daytona 500 and the Atlanta and Las Vegas races. On March 11, 2015, NASCAR lifted the suspension after Delaware prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence for a criminal case. Busch returned at Phoenix, won at Richmond, and earned a second win in a rain-shortened race at Michigan. Despite missing three races, he finished eighth in the championship.

In 2016, Busch's only win came at Pocono, and he finished seventh in the championship.

In 2017, Stewart–Haas Racing switched to Ford — a manufacturer that had not won a Cup championship since Busch's 2004 title with Roush. Busch won the Daytona 500, passing Kyle Larson on the final lap. He finished fourteenth in the standings.

In 2018, Busch won the Bristol night race — his first win in 58 races — securing a 2018 Playoffs spot. He was eliminated at Phoenix and finished seventh in points. On December 2, 2018, he announced he would not return to Stewart–Haas for 2019.

Busch joined Chip Ganassi Racing for 2019, driving the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with Monster Energy sponsorship. He finished second to Kyle at the Food City 500 — their second 1–2 finish. He secured his first win with CGR at Kentucky, defeating Kyle on the final restart — the third Busch brothers 1–2 finish, and the first where Kurt won.

In 2020, Busch made the playoffs without a victory before winning at Las Vegas for his 32nd career victory. In 2021, he won the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta, holding off Kyle — their final 1–2 finish together. On June 30, Justin Marks announced he had acquired Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR operations, making Busch a free agent after the season.

Busch moved to 23XI Racing to drive the No. 45 Toyota Camry for 2022. He won at Kansas for his 34th and final Cup victory. At Pocono, Busch was not cleared medically after a qualifying crash and missed the last five races of the regular season; Ty Gibbs substituted during his recovery from concussion symptoms. On October 16, 2022, Busch announced he would step away from full-time racing. On August 26, 2023, he confirmed his retirement from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition.

Busch competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona and, in 2011, earned his NHRA Pro Stock competition license, making his drag racing debut at the 42nd annual Tire Kingdom Gatornationals at Gainesville. He narrowly lost to Erica Enders by 0.004 seconds in his first elimination round, becoming only the fourth driver to transition from NASCAR to NHRA. In the 2014 Race of Champions, he represented Team USA alongside IndyCar's Ryan Hunter-Reay. In the 2017 Race of Champions, Kurt and Kyle Busch formed Team USA NASCAR; in the Nations' Cup final they were defeated by Team Germany's Sebastian Vettel.

In January 2025, Busch announced he had been medically cleared to return to racing and would compete in the 2025 Race of Champions — his first race since his 2022 concussion.

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