“That was a lot of fun”: Kyle Busch misses the 'No Bull 5' format from the 2000s

Veteran NASCAR driver Kyle Busch misses the time when Dale Earnhardt raced the in Cup Series and the Brickyard 400 was on the calendar. Speaking about what he would bring back from the series in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Busch mentioned the aforementioned names.

The #8 driver was then asked whether he wished to bring back the 'No Bull 5' program to the Cup Series. Busch replied affirmatively, saying that the initiative was 'really cool' and he wishes to see a similar program return to NASCAR's top racing series.

The 38-year-old said:

"Yeah, I mean the No Bull 5 thing was really really cool. I think that was a lot of fun, and brought some attention to the sport. Having the orange numbers and the orange spoilers on the car and guys going out there and racing for an extra million bucks in those races, so that was fun..."

He added about the current driver initiative programs in the junior categories:

"I think the Dash 4 Cash races do a great job of that, the Triple Truck challenge in the Truck Series does a great job of that. So would love to see something like that return for the Cup Series."

The 'Winston No Bull 5' was a program conducted in the NASCAR Cup Series between 1998 and 2002. It had a similar format to the present-day Dash 4 Cash initiative in Xfinity Series.

Beginning in 1998, the 'No Bull 5' program covered the crown jewels of NASCAR at Daytona, Talladega, Charlotte, Darlington, and the Brickyard 400. The drivers who finished in the top five in a No Bull 5 race qualified for the next event of the program. A qualified driver could win a $1 million bonus if he won the No Bull 5 race.

In these races, the five drivers fighting for the prize money ran special paint jobs, with their numbers on the roof painted in day-glow orange. A day-glow "$" sign was affixed to the passenger window. This allowed the fans to easily track drivers fighting for the bonus.

Jeff Gordon won the event record four times pocketing $4 million. After running for five years, the program was scrapped by its sponsor Winston.

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Kyle Busch reminisces about NASCAR in the early 2000s

Reminiscing about NASCAR Cup Series in the early 2000s, Kyle Busch hopes to see the return of the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Busch added that he also misses the NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt.

Kyle Busch winning the pole position at the Brickyard 400, 2017

Kyle Busch also named other legendary drivers whom he admired as a child, as he said:

"Brickyard 400, miss that. Miss Dale [Earnhardt] of course, and just seeing all of the other drivers that I get to see and that I have grown up loving as a kid. Being friends with them now being a driver myself is really cool, like Mark Martin, Dale Jarett and Rusty Wallace."

Kyle Busch might see the return of the Brickyard 400 next year if NASCAR and IMS decide to run an oval race for its 30th anniversary at the track.