NASCAR’s always been about larger-than-life characters, and nobody embodied that more than Dale Earnhardt Sr. As Kenny Wallace put it, Earnhardt was “bigger than NASCAR,” a guy who’d spark a frenzy just walking from his motorhome to the garage. Fans would lose it, screaming for the Intimidator, whose off-track hustle, merch, endorsements, and a rock-star persona, made him a cultural giant, not just a driver.

Modern drivers, polished by media training and sponsor demands, often come off as “vanilla,” as former reporter Deb Williams pointed out. Sponsors want safe, predictable faces to match their corporate vibe, muting the fire that once defined the sport’s stars. Mark Martin’s defended the new generation, saying the grind of technical work and media duties leaves little room for the unscripted chaos of yesteryear, but fans still crave that old-school spark.

Kyle Busch, with his “Rowdy” nickname and in-your-face attitude, used to deliver that spark in spades. Lately, though, his wife Samantha’s been reminiscing about the days when Kyle’s swagger ruled the track, and not just for wins.

Samantha and Kyle relive Rowdy’s wild days

On her podcast Certified Oversharer, the couple dove into Kyle’s wilder moments, laughing about his fiery press conferences and unfiltered edge. They blame sponsors for pushing drivers toward bland, brand-friendly personas, dulling NASCAR’s soul. Kyle recalled his old-school vibe, “I had that attitude or that sway swagger… we got time for two questions … I was waiting for the second one … I was like whatever … it rubbed me wrong.”

That’s pure Rowdy. Take the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, Kyle lost to Austin Dillon on a fuel-mileage gamble, missing his shot to conquer every active Cup track. In the press conference, he dropped the mic, visibly fuming, and muttered, “Nothing surprises me anymore. Congratulations.”

That moment, tied to his NOS Energy Drink-branded “Rowdy” persona, went viral, turning into memes and GIFs that captured his prickly defiance. It’s the kind of raw reaction fans ate up, but sponsor-driven media training has since softened those edges, leaving Samantha nostalgic for the unscripted Kyle.

Kyle doubled down on the Charlotte memory, “Yeah I dropped my mic because I was so damn frustrated that we got beat by Austin on a fuel mileage situation … that was Charlotte Motor Speedway … the Coke 600 … to finish winning at every single race track … I got beat … pissed off.”

The 2017 race stung bad, Dillon stretched his fuel 0.835 seconds ahead while Kyle, Martin Truex Jr., and others pitted late, handing Dillon the win. Busch’s mic-drop and curt comments showed his fire, a stark contrast to today’s polished pressers. Samantha’s wish for that “old school” Kyle points to a broader shift, sponsors like NOS once leaned into his brash image, but now, corporate caution often tames drivers into safe soundbites, a trend Deb Williams says is killing NASCAR’s personality.

Busch keeps family first amid racing struggles

While Kyle’s on-track battles have been brutal, two straight playoff misses and an 85-race winless streak since June 2023, Samantha’s quick to praise how he keeps family first. On Certified Oversharer, they beamed about their son Brexton’s rise, especially his 2025 Tulsa Shootout Jr. Sprint Championship win, snagging his first Golden Driller. Samantha gushed.

“I think seeing him win the Tulsa shootout this past year, that was a really proud moment because he worked so hard. And I feel like as a family we worked hard for that, and even Lennix, right? Like, we were putting her on planes and she was up till 1, 2 in the morning at 2 years old, like because of Brexton’s racing. So, I do feel like it was like a family effort.” The Busch clan’s all-in, Kyle’s painting his daughter’s nails one day, cheering Brexton’s races the next, showing a softer side that balances his Rowdy rep.

Kyle agreed, “Yeah, no question. He spent the whole year running that junior sprint and traveling all over the country and doing all the things that he needed to do to be better and have the skill set of like, not messing around in traffic, not going slow.” Brexton’s résumé is unreal for a kid, starting at five in 2020, he’s racked up 48 wins, 126 top-10s, and 107 top-5s across divisions like the INEX Citrus County Winter Nationals and Millbridge Speedway Restricted Micro Championship.

In 2024, he even raced his dad at Millbridge in a 600cc Winged Micros feature, with Kyle finishing third and Brexton sixth in a 20-car field. As Kyle eyes a spoiler role at Bristol, where his eight wins make him a threat, Samantha’s call for the “old school” Rowdy reflects a deeper truth, sponsors may tame NASCAR’s personalities, but the Busch family’s passion, on and off the track, still burns bright.