“That was the first bit of maturity”: Kurt Busch looks back on the time he embraced brother Kyle Busch’s NASCAR greatness amid their rivalry

Kurt Busch reflected on the time when he embraced his brother, Kyle Busch's, racing talent. Speaking about this in a recent interview, the former NASCAR driver addressed the timeframe and termed it as a "first bit of maturity."

Kurt and his younger brother Kyle are one of the most renowned NASCAR siblings. While Kurt retired from racing at the most premium form of stock car racing, his brother Kyle is still active in the sport.

The two brothers often shared rivalries as they raced for different teams and competed for the Cup Series Championship. However, it was not until 2008 that Kurt Busch realized how talented his younger brother was.

"You know what? It was, I finally with my brother realized how good he was and how great he could become," Busch said in the recent interview at the SpakeUpPodcast with Shannon Spake (0:53-1:30).

"And it was 2008 with that car of tomorrow that he just, he should have been champion that year. I mean he was so fast with that new car and I struggled with it and that's when I just kind of went you know what you're going to be great," he added.

He also recalled how the realization was an act of maturity to him despite their on-track rivalries, adding:

"I think that's the first bit of maturity that I found in myself with racing him and settling in this sport."

Kurt and Kyle Busch raced together in multiple NASCAR series, such as Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series, for over two decades, from 2001 to 2022. During these times, they were fierce competitors.

The Busch brothers also achieved success. The elder brother won a Cup Series championship in 2004, while the younger brother picked up an Xfinity Series title in 2009 and two Cup Series titles in 2015 and 2019.

Kurt retired from full-time racing at the end of 2022, but Kyle is still racing in the Cup Series and driving the #8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing under full-time obligation.

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Kurt Busch addressed his brother Kyle Busch's slump in NASCAR

Kyle Busch drives during practice for the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway - Source: Imagn

Kurt Busch recently shed light on his brother, Kyle Busch's, rough patch in the NASCAR Cup Series. Speaking about the RCR driver's continuous downward spiral, the former NASCAR star said (via Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of practice and qualifying):

“Yeah, I’m seeing the slump from the No. 8 car and the No. 3 car this year, but those things happen. I mean, you’re on top of your game one year, you come back to the track next year and you’re like, ‘Why am I P20 on the board. It happens.”

Kyle Busch is yet to win a race this season and qualify for the NASCAR playoffs. The RCR driver has yet to take a victory since June 4, 2023, and is undergoing a 69-race winless streak.