Busch was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was introduced to racing at the age of six, steering a makeshift go-kart around the family's cul-de-sac while his father, Tom, controlled the throttle. By the age of ten he had taken on the role of crew chief for Kurt's dwarf car team. Busch began his driving career in 1998, shortly after turning thirteen. Between 1999 and 2001 he won over 65 races in Legends car racing, claiming two track championships at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring. In 2001 he transitioned to late model racing, securing 10 victories at the Bullring that season.
At sixteen, Busch entered the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 99 Ford for Roush Racing after replacing Nathan Haseleu midway through the 2001 season. He debuted at Indianapolis Raceway Park, finishing ninth. In his second race at Chicago Motor Speedway he led until his truck ran out of fuel with twelve laps remaining. Busch competed in six Truck Series races in 2001, recording two ninth-place finishes. He was fastest in practice for the 2001 Auto Club 200 at California Speedway in Fontana but was ruled ineligible to compete, as the event venue also hosted a CART FedEx Championship Series round sponsored by Marlboro, conflicting with the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement's prohibition on under-18 participants in tobacco-sponsored events. Six weeks later, NASCAR implemented a minimum age requirement of eighteen, starting in 2002. Busch graduated early with honors from Durango High School in Las Vegas in 2002 to focus on racing. That same year he debuted in the ARCA RE/MAX Series at Lowe's Motor Speedway, finishing twelfth in the No. 22 Chevrolet for WP Motorsports.
Busch holds several NASCAR records, including the most wins in a season across the top three series in the modern era with 24 wins in 2010 — a season in which he also set the record for most wins in a season in the Xfinity Series with thirteen. He holds the overall Xfinity Series wins record with 102, and the Truck Series wins record with 66. He is the only driver in history to have 60 wins in each of NASCAR's top three series.
At nineteen years and 317 days old, Busch became NASCAR's youngest-ever pole winner in a Cup Series race at California Speedway in 2005. He became the youngest driver to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2006. In 2008 he became the first driver to win a race and a championship in a Toyota in the Cup Series, with victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He is the only driver to win four consecutive spring races at Richmond International Raceway (2009–2012) and was the inaugural winner of the first Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway in 2011.
Busch won the 2009 Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway on his 24th birthday, becoming only the second driver in NASCAR history to win on their birthday. On his 36th birthday he won the Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway, joining Cale Yarborough as the only two drivers to win on their birthday twice. In 2019 he tied the record for consecutive top-ten finishes to start a season, matching Morgan Shepherd's streak of 11.
His victory at Auto Club Speedway in 2023 made him the record holder for most consecutive seasons with a Cup Series win, at nineteen — a streak that ended in 2024 with a winless season. As of the completion of the 2022 Daytona 500, Busch holds the record for most lifetime laps led in the history of that race with 324, without having won it.
In December 2021, M&M's/Mars announced it would end its primary sponsorship with Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2022 season. On September 13, 2022, Busch signed a multi-year contract with Richard Childress Racing beginning in 2023.
Busch is the former owner of Kyle Busch Motorsports, which competed in the Xfinity Series from 2011 to 2013 and the Truck Series from 2010 to 2023. In its inaugural 2010 season, the team became the first Truck Series organisation to win the owners' championship in its first year, recording eight wins, 16 top-five finishes, and 21 top-ten finishes.
Busch has maintained an active presence in regional late model racing. He won the 42nd Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, in December 2009, and repeated the achievement in December 2017. In July 2011 he won the 32nd annual Slinger Nationals at Slinger Speedway in Wisconsin, then two weeks later claimed the 38th annual TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway — New England's largest short-track race — on his third attempt. He became only the second active Cup Series driver to win that event, joining Kevin Harvick. In June 2012, Busch won the eighth annual Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway, defeating Tony Stewart in the pay-per-view all-star event. In July 2013 he dominated the Howie Lettow Memorial 150 at the Milwaukee Mile.
In 2020, Busch competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona with AIM Vasser Sullivan, driving a Lexus RC F GT3 alongside Jack Hawksworth, Parker Chase, and Michael De Quesada, finishing ninth in the GTD class and 26th overall. He competed in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) in 2023, winning at Motor Mile Speedway and Berlin Raceway, going 2-for-2 in the series. On November 14, 2024, Busch announced he would run the Chili Bowl Nationals in January 2025, finishing third in the second F-feature but failing to qualify for the D-feature.
Busch was among American drivers considered to drive for the US-based Formula One team US F1, but he declined, citing poor timing. He was also scheduled to test a Toyota F1 car at the end of the 2008 season but cancelled due to his obligation to attend the 2008 Nationwide Series banquet. The US F1 team ultimately folded before competing in a race.
On May 24, 2011, Busch was cited for reckless driving and speeding near Troutman, North Carolina, after driving 128 mph (206 km/h) in a 45 mph (72 km/h) zone while test-driving a Lexus LFA. He later apologised and on August 23, 2011, pleaded guilty to speeding, receiving a US$1,000 fine, a 45-day licence suspension, 30 hours of community service, and one year of unsupervised probation. A second speeding citation followed on April 29, 2014, on NC 73 in Denver, North Carolina. In February 2023, news reports revealed that Busch had been arrested in Cancún, Mexico, in January for handgun possession; the prosecutor stated he was sentenced to 42 months in prison and fined US$1,100. Busch issued a statement apologising for his lack of awareness of Mexican laws and said he considered the matter resolved.
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (2015, 2019)
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season champion (2018, 2019)
2009 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion
Seven-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner's champion (as owner of Kyle Busch Motorsports: 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
Two-time Best Driver ESPY Award winner (2016, 2019)
WWE 24/7 Championship (1 time, 2019)
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