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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 01: R-L Kyle Busch speaks with his son Brexton Locke Busch prior to the start of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Craftsman Truck Series Victoria s Voice Foundation 200 presented by Westgate Resorts on March 1, 2024, at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. Photo by Christopher Trim/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAR 01 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Victoria s Voice Foundation 200 presented by Westgate Resorts EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon240301272
Imago
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 01: R-L Kyle Busch speaks with his son Brexton Locke Busch prior to the start of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Craftsman Truck Series Victoria s Voice Foundation 200 presented by Westgate Resorts on March 1, 2024, at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. Photo by Christopher Trim/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAR 01 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Victoria s Voice Foundation 200 presented by Westgate Resorts EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon240301272
At just 10 years old, Brexton Busch is already assembling a racing résumé that would make many adults jealous. With more than 150 wins across Outlaw Karts, Bandoleros, and Junior Sprints, plus a Golden Driller from his 2025 Tulsa Shootout triumph, the young prodigy has quickly become one of the most-watched rising stars in American grassroots racing. But raw talent only gets sharper with tough coaching, and nobody knows that better than his father, Kyle Busch. This week, the two-time Cup Series champion delivered a dose of brutally honest feedback that showed he’s not sugarcoating Brexton’s path to NASCAR greatness. Not even a little.
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Kyle Busch’s honest feedback for Brexton
For Kyle Busch, being a father doesn’t mean shielding his son from criticism, especially not in racing. The elder Busch has long believed that talent is only the starting point, not a free pass for mistakes. That mentality is why he routinely steps into the role of coach, dissecting Brexton’s performance lap by lap, corner by corner. Watching a replay on a laptop, Kyle didn’t hold back.
“Turn the wheel fine, a little tight there. Good exit, no problem. Right here, super easy on entry, like not even trying to get in the corner. Drives off the corner just fine, like you’re slow. You are slow.” While it may look like, it wasn’t cruelty. Rather, it was precision coaching from someone who knows exactly what greatness requires.
In 2026, Brexton will take a major leap as he enters the JR Late Model division at Madera Speedway, one of the premier proving grounds for NASCAR’s next generation. Driving the No. 18 for Charlie Wilson, he becomes eligible just as he turns the class’s minimum age of 10. JR Late Models run GM 602 crate engines producing roughly 350 horsepower before restrictions, paired with an 8-inch Hoosier 970 tire. This is a combination designed to teach car control, confidence, and race craft, eventually producing the NASCAR race drivers of tomorrow.
You’re slow bro. Gotta deliver the hard truth to maximize potential.📈 pic.twitter.com/fCKFc60qFq
— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) February 6, 2026
Brexton’s résumé already speaks for itself. Dominant in Outlaw Karts and Micro Sprints, increasingly sharp on pavement in Bandoleros and Legends, and owner of an INEX Bandolero Bandits National Championship with 23 wins and 28 podiums. The kid has proven he can win anywhere. But pavement late models will test him in brand-new ways.
If Kyle Busch‘s tough-love approach seems harsh, it’s because he sees what Brexton could become. And as the next chapter begins, the “hard truth” may be exactly what pushes the prodigy to the next level.
Kyle Busch is skeptical of NASCAR’s Chase return
Kyle Busch has never been shy about speaking his mind, and with the Chase format returning in 2026, he isn’t sugarcoating his concerns. With the Daytona 500 just a week away, the two-time Cup champion is openly skeptical, questioning whether NASCAR is repeating a mistake it once worked hard to correct. Busch didn’t dance around the topic. Instead, he pointed directly at the era that defined the controversy.
“I thought we got away from it for a reason in the past, so I’m not real sure why we went back to it,” Busch said. “The reason why we sort of went away from it was obviously Jimmy Johnson’s dominance, number one, but I feel like number two is there were times where guys, like myself, who would have one bad race or two that would then knock them out of the championship, basically.”
As you might have figured out, Kyle Busch is referring to the 2006–2010 stretch, when Jimmie Johnson won five straight championships under the original Chase system. This run was so overwhelming that it altered how fans and teams viewed competitive parity. From 2004 to 2013, NASCAR’s championship was determined by a 10-race points battle among the top contenders, not a single winner-take-all finale. And in that window, Johnson ruled nearly unchallenged.
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His dominance didn’t just define the era, but ‘swallowed’ it. Fans and critics argued the Chase felt predictable, that parity suffered, and that one organization had effectively solved the system while everyone else played catch-up.
As Kyle Busch raises the alarm once more, the question hangs in the air: will the 2026 Chase truly revive excitement… or simply set the stage for another decade defined by a single powerhouse?