Former Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp: Kyle Busch 'absolutely hated to lose'
DARLINGTON, S.C. – What stood out the most about Kyle Busch?
“He was such a fierce competitor,” former Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp said. “He absolutely hated to lose.”
Tharp
So much so that when Tharp was NASCAR's Senior Communications Director, he instituted a policy to bring the top three drivers into the media center to speak following a race.
And it was usually a rough session if Busch finished second or third.
“It was never a whole lot of fun because he was not happy,” Tharp said. “He was out to get checkered flags and trophies. That was his M.O. and he was really good at it.”
Busch’s and Tharp’s careers overlapped for two decades, and the two developed a mutual respect – especially toward then end of Tharp's tenure.
“After he got married and had kids, I got to know him a lot better than I had beforehand,” he said. “He not only grew as a race car driver, but he grew as a person and as a man.”
So, it was a quite a shock when Tharp and the rest of the auto racing community heard the tragic news of Busch’s death Thursday at the age of 41.
“Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch,” the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR said in a joint statement. “A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans.
“…Our thoughts are with Samantha, Brexton and Lennix, Kyle and Samantha's parents, Kurt and all of Kyle’s family, Richard and Judy Childress, everyone at Richard Childress Racing, his teammates, friends and fans. NASCAR lost a giant of the sport today, far too soon.”
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M's Crispy Toyota, celebrates with the trophy in Victory Lane and CEO and Chairman of NASCAR Brian France, right, after winning the series championship and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22, 2015 in Homestead, Florida.
Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion and the 2008 Southern 500 winner, had been battling a severe illness prior to his death.
“I’m just stunned and kind of numb to be honest with you,” Tharp said. “It’s shocking. Not only a great NASCAR champion, but a champion father and husband. He was so active in the community with various charities.
“He was one of the premier drivers of all time. You look at his record across the three series (234 wins) – I doubt if that’ll ever be broken.”
Busch has 63 Cup Series victories, which ranks 9th all-time. In addition to winning that 2008 Southern 500, Busch also has two O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victories at the Lady in Black – 2011’s Royal Purple 200 and 2013’s VFW Sports Clips Help a Hero 200.
“That was one of his biggest wins – to win the Crown Jewel race like that,” Tharp said of Busch's Southern 500 victory.
In 29 Cup races at Darlington, Busch had seven Top 5’s and 17 Top 10’s. His average finish was 13.4. He was also the runner-up in the Southern 500 twice (2017 & 2024).
Tharp also vividly recalls both of Busch’s Cup championship seasons.
“He had broken his leg in 2015 at Daytona in the (O’Reilly Auto Parts) race and I was at the care center when they brought him in,” he said. “He was pretty banged up and missed some races, but he came back and won the championship that year.”
The 2019 season was a dominant one as “Rowdy” won five races, finished in the top five 17 times and finished in the top ten 27 times out of 36 races.
“That 2019 season he was, as they like to say around here, too tough to tame,” Tharp said. “He was definitely the class of the Cup Series. And winning that championship and celebrating that championship with him and his team out in Las Vegas…I’ll always remember those times.”
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A video compilation of some of Kyle Busch's biggest moments in NASCAR.
