TULSA, Okla. — The pits at the Tulsa Shootout inside the SageNet Center are full of family-run racing teams.
One of the most prominent is the father-son team of two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch and his son, Brexton.
Both drivers are running multiple classes during the Tulsa Shootout, chasing an elusive Golden Driller trophy. But the preparation takes place throughout the season.
“It is a lot of preparation back at the shop,” Kyle Busch said. “All year long we run all across the country with him running Jr. Sprints and Restricteds anywhere we can with myself running as much as I can at the same places he does, but much of it was done at Millbridge (Speedway) this year. Great home track, great place to race. He and I both won the track championship.
All the preparation and everything with all the cars to get ready to come here, there is a lot to it, but we have a lot of great help.”
While the 39-year-old two-time NASCAR champion has a ton of racing experience, in many ways the pair share similar experiences when racing dirt-track micro sprints.
“It’s good, it’s fun. There was a race earlier this year at Airport Speedway where he was telling me to run the bottom, and of course, I went to the top to try to make something happen to try to make something happen, and he told me afterward, ‘I told you to run the bottom,’” Kyle Busch said with a laugh. “It’s fun to be able to do that. We prep a lot. We try to get him ready as much as we can.”
Brexton Busch also coaches his dad.
“Sometimes whenever he doesn’t do too good, I tell him how to race, and sometimes when I don’t do too good, he gives me some tips,” the nine-year-old racer said. “…Most of the time, I go watch one or two races ahead, then run back down and tell him how the track is and tell him if it is slick or not and where to run.”
Both drivers have won heat races this week and will contend for Golden Drillers on Saturday night.
