DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Just six years old, Brexton Busch is already making a name for himself driving race cars.
The son of two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has been impressive enough to earn the praise of 2014 IndyCar Series champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power of Team Penske.
“Brexton Busch is really good, especially for a driver his age,” Power told SPEED SPORT last week at his Lake Norman, N. C. home. “You can tell that he has a lot of natural talent, just like his father.”
Young Busch’s dad has won 222 races in all three of NASCAR’s top touring series entering Speedweeks for the 64th Daytona 500. That includes 59 NASCAR Cup Series wins, 102 victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 61 wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Ironically, Busch has never won the Daytona 500.
On the days when he works with Brexton as a father-and-son combination, it reminds Kyle of his days as a youngster when his father Tom, a successful racer, helped develop the racing skills for Kyle and his older brother Kurt.
“I don’t even remember when I was five, but it was so different back then,” Kyle Busch told SPEED SPORT. “Today, we have all the cool things that help me with Brexton like the latest GoPro cameras and all of the telemetry we can get off the computer.
“Back when I was his age, we rigged up a camcorder video recorder to a bracket on the car and after races or practices, we would go back and watch it the VCR.”
Brexton Busch appears on his way to a bright future behind the wheel of a race car, but he is only six years old.
But so far, father and son have been able to use racing to strengthen their familial bond.
“It’s been really fun to work with him,” Busch said. “When we started, we went three laps down in an eight-lap heat race. It was painful. But he learned. He just wanted to go to the racetrack and make circles and it was so frustrating as a dad knowing that he could do this. I was like ‘Come on. Step on the gas, let’s go’ to just let him get his bearings, get his feet wet and feel it out and let him figure out what is happening.
“At five years old, I don’t even remember five years old and figure out making circles. I can see how that is a bit tough and challenging for someone like that.
“He’s doing well, and we are having fun.”
Brexton Busch turns seven in May and has an extensive racing schedule planned for 2022 including quarter midgets, junior sprints and outlaw karts.
“We’ve got three races out in California when we are out there,” Kyle said. “In Phoenix, we’ve got three races when were there. I’ve built out his schedule with like 80 shows this year, but we are not going to hit them all. I just put them on the calendar. I guarantee you that he runs 50 to 60 races this year at least. That’s going to be a lot for a 6-year-old.”
Brexton has one of the best drivers in racing history coaching him, but the youngster has also taught his father a few lessons.
“He’s honestly taught me a little bit too,” Kyle admitted. “As I’m his driver coach, I’m helping him through things and I’m thinking – I’m on the sidelines and I’m like ‘OK, what do I need to tell him? How can I explain this to a 6-year-old so when he comes off the race track to go over things and watch film, I can talk to him about it?’
“Now I’m using that too myself as I’m driving around the race track. I’m like ‘OK, dumb ass (referring to himself), do this, look at this differently. Don’t screw this up. Hey, you need to throw it into the top a little higher. You missed that corner, that was dumb.’ Just certain things in that nature. I’m talking to myself, driver coaching myself a lot more now.
“Whether that is good or bad, we’ll find out.”