TULSA, Okla. — The line for autographs inside the SageNet Center stretched down the aisle and stretched around the corner.
No, the line wasn’t for Kyle Larson or Christopher Bell, both Chili Bowl National Championships champions. It was for two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.
Busch, the driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series, was preparing to make his Chili Bowl Nationals debut Friday afternoon, amid a sea of fans hoping to get a glimpse – and maybe an autograph – of the Las Vegas native.
It’s a scenario that seemed unlikely five years ago, but a lot has happened since then that led to the stars aligning for Busch to make his Chili Bowl debut.
“I always watched him and just enjoyed watching him, watching the other guys and their craft and seeing how good they can be at what they do. It always amazed me,” Busch said of the Chili Bowl. “Everyone convinced me. FloRacing and Lucas Oil, they were all for it and wanted to be part of my adventure. So here we are.
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Dirt racing wasn’t on Busch’s radar a few years ago, until his 9-year-old son Brexton began his own racing career at tracks like North Carolina’s Millbridge Speedway and other dirt tracks across the United States.
“I guess it all kind of came together over the last two or three years of dealing with all the dirty stuff with Brexton and having the chance to deal with the micro stuff,” Busch explained. “I go to all these tracks and all these races with him. When we started it was just junior sprints and we were a little bored with the rest of the time we had, so I was like, “I might as well go.” Might as well drive.
“I feel like it kind of helped us out and made me understand a little bit more about what adjustments I need to make to better him and his car.”
Busch made his SageNet Center and micro sprint debut in 2022 by competing in the Tulsa Shootout alongside his son. Since then, he has joined Brexton on dirt as often as possible, and the two have become regular competitors at Millbridge, where they each won track championships last season.
The 39-year-old has spared no expense on his dirt racing program. He hired Al Scroggins, a highly regarded dirt racing team leader who has worked with some of the best dirt racing racers in the world, to run the operation.
With Scroggins already on board, Busch decided to build his own miniature car rather than rent one of the nearly 400 cars that show up each January to compete on the temporary indoor dirt track known as the Tulsa Expo Raceway.
“He (Scroggins) has been in this world so long and knows everything and so much about these cars,” Busch said. “He has worked with some of the best talent that has come up through the midget ranks.
“I thought I had one of the best guys who knew how to put them together and do it, so let’s go do it ourselves and not have to worry about being on a 16-car team and not not really getting the attention we need.
Does this mean Busch could make more midget starts at marquee events around the country when his schedule allows?
He did not completely rule out this possibility.
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“It would definitely be fun to go to some places and maybe race,” Busch said. “I keep trying to convince the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to do a big micro-show while we’re up there because we have the mics and everything. I haven’t gotten very far with this, but I know the BC39 is up there, so maybe I can do it.
“A lot of the time it varies depending on whether you can do the weekday shows, because obviously the weekend shows are pretty full. »
A few weeks ago, Busch got to watch Brexton beat more than 100 competitors in the junior sprint class to win his first Golden Driller at the Tulsa Shootout.
He doesn’t mistakenly believe he can duplicate his son’s success in the Chili Bowl. The goal, really, is to learn, be competitive and have fun your first time participating in midget auto racing’s biggest event.
“I would say I’m here more to have fun, but I want to be competitive and I want to race well,” Busch said. “I feel like the most important thing is that if I can move forward every time I’m on the track, that’s a plus.
“Get ahead a few points in your qualifying race, get ahead a few points in your qualifying or B-Main or whatever and try to get through and see if you can’t make the A-Main tonight and then get on in a D, E or F or something (Saturday) Being a two-time NASCAR champion is enough of a credential; .
