Knight Theater (Miami) – NASCAR fans honored the late Kyle Busch by voting him the NASCAR Cup Series’ most popular driver.
Busch, who died suddenly on May 21 from complications of pneumonia, was a popular but polarizing figure in the sport as his fiery demeanor made him a favorite of many, but also earned him his share of people rooting against him.
Busch’s widow, Samantha, accepted the honor Tuesday night as part of NASCAR’s annual year-end awards ceremony.
“I want to cry thinking about it,” Samantha Busch told me and others on the red carpet before the awards ceremony. “He really wanted that award for so many years, and I’m so excited that he got it… For the kids (Brexton and Lennix), it’s really special.
“When I told Braxton, I was like, ‘Hey, daddy got it,’ and he said, ‘No way! And he was really driven. So this is exciting for them.”
Chase Elliott – who had won eight consecutive MPD awards – removed his name from the ballotas did his father, Bill, in 2001 when Dale Earnhardt died in the Daytona 500.
“He embraced that villain role, and maybe people didn’t quite like it, but they sure made a lot of noise about it. I think we can all agree on that,” Elliott said last month when voting began.
“I just felt like because of that, and because of a lot of things that I got a chance to see behind the scenes of things that he did for his fans and how much he cared about the sport and about his supporters, I felt that he deserved to win that vote.
Many current drivers asked their fans to vote for Busch, a two-time Cup champion who earned 63 Cup wins, 102 at O’Reilly and 69 in Trucks.
Kyle Busch was posthumously honored with NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award. (Getty Images)
“The coolest thing about him is how the other drivers came together to rally their fans behind him,” Samantha Busch said. “A lot of people see that they are competitors or they don’t like each other.
“But at the end of the day, NASCAR is a big family, and just seeing Chase and (Kyle) Larson and all of them saying, ‘No, give it to Kyle, give it to Kyle.’ I know he’s up there saying, ‘Well, I finally got it.’
Elliott told me Tuesday morning that he hadn’t talked to Samantha about the award yet, that he wanted to talk to her in person at a time he felt was right.
“I hope our paths cross to connect and talk about it. And if nothing else, I just express my emotions for Kyle and how much I’ve appreciated his relationship over the years and the respect I feel we had for each other and a lot of things I told you guys (in the media),” Elliott said.
“It would be very important to tell her as well, at some point in time when the time is right, and I intend to do that.”
Busch’s wife, Samantha, says she appreciates the fan support her family has received since Kyle’s death. (Getty Images)
Samantha Busch said she enjoyed hearing stories from other drivers and those in the sport.
“He was a huge part of this sport and it was just beautiful to hear the impact he had in the last couple of months. I’ve heard so many stories … (how) he had that heart,” Samantha Busch said. “And I don’t think a lot of people saw that.
“But now that people are talking about it, I’m so glad people got to see that side of Kyle that I knew so well.”
The Most Popular Cup Driver Award is presented by the National Motorsports Press Association. Justin Allgaier took the award in the O’Reilly series and Layne Riggs won in the trucks.
“There was no Rowdy without the fans,” Samantha said during her acceptance speech. “And there will never be another Rowdy. Because there was no one like Kyle.”
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