Harvick & Lemonis
A $100,000 bonus is on the line if a NASCAR Cup Series driver can beat Kyle Busch in a NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series event. (Toyota Racing photo)
NASCAR Cup Series

Harvick & Lemonis Put $100,000 Bounty On Rowdy

February 23, 2020

LAS VEGAS – Fresh off Kyle Busch’s seventh NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series win in a row Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a bounty has been placed on the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Longtime Busch rival Kevin Harvick and Marcus Lemonis, the chairman of series entitlement sponsor Gander RV & Outdoors, have each pledged $50,000 to any NASCAR Cup Series driver who can come into the Truck Series and beat Busch at his own game.

The rules are simple. Busch must be beaten by a full-time Cup Series driver in any of the four remaining Truck Series events that he’s entered in this year for said driver to collect the cash.

Busch will be back in the Truck Series field at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway on March 14, Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway on March 20, Texas Motor Speedway on March 27, and Kansas Speedway on May 30.

The challenge was sparked on Twitter Saturday, while the Cup Series was waiting out the rain in hopes of qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The catch? It has to be clean. For a driver to cash in, they can’t wreck Busch for the win.

Told about the bounty when he came into the media center after NASCAR Cup Series qualifying was washed out Saturday afternoon, Busch was less than impressed.

“Well, there just better be an asterisk on it because if somebody crashes me, it doesn’t count,” Busch said. “Put money on a bounty on somebody and then bad things tend to happen. I don’t know. Make it whatever y’all want. It don’t matter to me.

“I’ve got great stuff (and) I’m a good driver. Bring it.”

If no one can beat Busch over his next four races, the $100,000 bounty will be donated to the Bundle of Joy Fund, Kyle and Samantha’s charitable organization which helps couples in need of fertility treatments in order to conceive, much like they needed themselves.

https://twitter.com/bundleofjoyfund/status/1231315407904165890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1231315407904165890&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.autoweek.com%2Fracing%2Fnascar%2Fa31059373%2Fnascar-star-and-truck-series-sponsor-place-dollar100000-bounty-on-kyle-busch%2F

Multiple Cup Series regulars have already expressed interest in the challenge, including Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon and current Truck Series owner/driver Timmy Hill.

John Hunter Nemechek has committed to taking the challenge at Texas Motor Speedway, and perhaps sooner than that if the right funding is available.

Regardless of whether the bounty is claimed or Busch goes undefeated, Harvick’s idea has certainly generated plenty of interest in the Truck Series for the next few weeks.

Lemonis is even trying to generate more viewership – if FOX Sports is willing to help out, that is.