“I Was So Scared!” Kurt Busch’s Father Gives Emotional Response to Son’s NASCAR Hall of fame entry

Kurt Busch's father Tom Busch is very proud of his son despite the former not being inducted as a HOF in his first ever entry.

“I Was So Scared!” Kurt Busch’s Father Gives Emotional Response to Son’s NASCAR Hall of fame entry

Kurt Busch with father Tom Busch (via NBC)

Kurt Busch received the honor of being nominated for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026, his first time on the ballot. Although he did not secure induction in his maiden year, the nomination itself remains a testament to his impact on the sport. Even though he fell short in winning the title, the voters didn’t fail to acknowledge Busch’s importance in NASCAR. Now, his father, Tom Busch, expresses immense pride in his son and doesn’t hesitate to share his joy over the recognition.

Kurt Busch achieved a commendable career in NASCAR before ultimately quitting the sport due to a massive incident during the 2022 Pocono race weekend. Busch also suffered from a difficult time in his life after being arrested for DUI recently. Regardless, the people of the sport consider the 46-year-old as one of the better personalities in the sport, evident from his HOF entry.

Regardless of Kurt Busch losing the contention this year for the HOF, Tom Busch remains proud of his son. The father reckons that Busch not winning his first nomination for the Hall of Fame was a ‘relief’ for the former. Many people believed that the 46-year-old deserved to win, but not in his very first year of induction, as he only received a 61% approval from the voters.

Even Tom Busch resonated with these thoughts of other NASCAR veterans as he revealed why he was so happy despite his son not winning. Busch Sr. pointed out that his son definitely deserved to be nominated for the HOF. The 71-year-old doesn’t hesitate to acknowledge that Busch Jr. wasn’t guaranteed to win in his first year, as there were a lot of doubts cast on this possibility.

It was a relief because I was so scared, So, does he deserve to be in in the first round? Absolutely. Is it a guarantee? No. There was some doubt.

Tom Busch said, as reported by autoweek.

Tom Busch reveals how Kurt Busch defeated brother Kyle Busch in Legends racing

Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch are arguably one of the strongest brother pairings on the NASCAR grid. The great results for the younger brother Kyle, didn’t come with ease as he faced stiff competition from his elder brother in Legends Car Racing. Tom Busch reminisced on the time when Kyle Busch was unimpressed with his brother not letting him win on track.

Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch (via USA Today)

Tom Busch believed that Kurt Busch was a great elder brother as he promoted Kyle Busch to the best of his capabilities. Busch Sr. recalled that the elder Busch beat his brother on the track as the latter got irritated by not winning races.

Kyle Busch wasn’t just handed points by his brother despite running for national points. This habit of Kurt helped shape the younger’s future in NASCAR and made him fight fiercely for points.

I think that was Kurt being a good big brother, He’s promoting his little brother. When they raced together in Legends, Kurt beat Kyle in a race and Kyle was PO’d because he was running for national points, Kyle said, ‘Why wouldn’t you let me win?’ Kurt said, ‘I might be able to let Dad win, but I can’t let my little brother win.’

Tom Busch recalled.

This shows just how genuine Kurt Busch is, not only as a NASCAR driver, but also as a person. Whether he deserved to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot is still up for debate, but one thing is certain: he’s likely to be in the running again in the future. His brother, Kyle Busch, is still going strong and plans to keep racing for years to come, continuing to build on the Busch family’s legacy in the sport.

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