Kyle Busch’s frustration with NASCAR’s current racing culture isn’t subtle. In a recent interview, the two-time Cup Series champion delivered a blistering critique of the sport’s younger drivers, arguing that unchecked aggression and a lack of mentorship have eroded racing’s strategic core.
Busch’s comments, anchored by a decade-old clash with Carson Hocevar and reflections on Tony Stewart’s guidance, highlight a growing generational divide. For Busch, today’s NASCAR prioritizes chaos over calculated brilliance, and he sees no fix in sight.
Kyle Busch’s Scathing Take on NASCAR’s Modern Era
Busch’s frustration with modern racing centers around Spire Motorsports driver Hocevar, with their rivalry dating back more than a decade to Michigan’s Kalamazoo Speedway, where a teenage Hocevar made an aggressive and unapologetic move.
“He comes right up alongside me, sideswipes me, puts me in the front stretch fence, and goes on,” Busch told Kevin Harvick on the “Happy Hour” podcast.
“Never nothing after the fact. Never a sorry like ‘Hey, my bad.’ It’s just like he hasn’t learned not one thing because he hasn’t been under someone’s wing this entire time.”
The feud reignited at February’s Ambetter Health 400 in Atlanta, where Hocevar’s aggressive drafting nearly triggered a multi-car wreck. Over the team radio, Busch vowed retaliation:
“I don’t care if I wreck the whole f****** field. I’m over him. He’s a f****** douchebag. I’m going to wreck his a**.”
Busch contrasted Hocevar’s trajectory with his own early career when veterans like Stewart stepped in to curb his recklessness. After a 2005 Las Vegas clash, Stewart summoned Busch to his motorhome for a pivotal conversation.
“Look, man, you’re young, you’re fast, you can do this, you’re going to be a winner, multi-time winner, champion one day,” Stewart told him.
“You’ve got it; you’re going to be fine. You just gotta figure out how to rein it all in and be in control or under control and all that sort of stuff.”
Busch believes that mentorship culture has disappeared.
“That was the Mark Martin era, the Jeff Gordon era, the Tony Stewart era, you were there. The Harvick era. That was a different era than where we’re into today,” he said.
When asked why he doesn’t mentor young drivers, Busch was blunt.
“We are in a completely different era now. There is no fixing what we’ve got going right now with everybody running over everybody. They would much rather crash than win a race. I don’t get it.”
Busch’s critique isn’t just about Hocevar; it’s a lament for a bygone NASCAR. As the sport leans into Next Gen parity and viral moments, veterans like Busch see an erosion of the nuance that defined icons like Stewart.
For now, the two-time champ remains focused on his loyal fan base.
“I want to win more for [Rowdy Nation] than for anything.”
But Busch’s warning lingers. Without mentorship, NASCAR’s future may hinge on who’s willing to wreck, not who’s capable of outdriving the field.