LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — NASCAR fans are mourning the recent news of Kyle Busch’s passing. ABC 13 spoke to former WSET sports director Dennis Carter for comment.
“Shock. I was saddened. When I heard the news, it was just so quick,” Carter said.
From the age of 16, Busch was truly incredible on the track. Carter went on to tell us that Busch was so talented that after finishing ninth in his first race, NASCAR raised the minimum age to 18.
Busch always had this certain aura that followed him, making the crowd either hate or love him. Carter told us that “he enjoyed the attention and the fact that he was not loved by everybody.”
A sense of spice was brought to NASCAR because of the act Busch would put on every time he was on camera. He was a showman at heart; he knew there was a spot to fill, being the villain on the track. Carter said, “The sport needed someone who would be willing to wear the black hat.”
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“It’s going to be tough to overcome, I think, for a while, especially because he’s so young.” Kyle passed away at the age of only 41, leaving his two kids and wife.
Carter stated, “When you saw him at the racetrack, when his kids would … come running out to him, and he would give them a hug. You could tell that he had really came around as an individual.”
There was always a certain attitude that Busch held of having a chip on his shoulder, which made the crowd go wild. Carter talked about how a lot of fans and other drivers would get riled up by the show Busch would put on. Carter said an example of that is when Busch spun out his rival, Dale Jr., in Richmond to make sure neither of them went on to win the race.
“When he would win a race, he would take the showman’s bow, if you will, in front of the crowd.” Carter went on to tell us that this would result in Busch at times needing extra security leaving the track because so many people were angry.
He is believed by many to be one of the best drivers ever in history, and will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. His aggressive and risky driving style won him hundreds of races and dozens of Cup Series wins.
“Everyone is just devastated,” Carter said, “It just leaves everybody just very sad, very sad.”