Alex Haase is enjoying life as an aspiring NASCAR driver, but more than that, he's enjoying his status as Kyle Busch's protégé.

It may be hard to believe the 23-year-old Sprint Cup driver already has a protégé, but Haase has known Busch since the two were young boys.

They grew up around the same local tracks in Las Vegas and their fathers, Greg Haase and Tom Busch, worked together at a Ford dealership and worked on their own racecars, as well.

The family friendship has paved the way for 18-year-old Haase to become Busch's first driver of Kyle Busch Motorsports.

So at the end of January, Haase packed up his belongings in Vegas and moved to North Carolina and lives with Busch in his lake-front home near Mooresville, N.C.

His mother, Tammy Haase, said she wasn't worried.

"Greg and Tom Busch have known each other for over 30 years so we knew that he would be in good hands," she said. "Tom is also Alex's manager and spotter, so the Busch friendship means a great deal to us. He has learned so much from Kyle since moving back there."

Haase's career began with Bandoleros and Legends cars where Busch, a fellow product of Legends, mentored him on the track.

Tammy Haase said the first signs of interest came at age 8.

"Alex started showing an interest in helping work on his dad's racecars," she said. "He was given the opportunity to make some laps in a go-kart at the old Las Vegas Motor Speedway short track. On that day he racked up over 200 laps and from that day forward he had that desire to go racing. The next year, Bandoleros were introduced to the West Coast and we thought as a family that that would be the perfect opportunity for dad and son to race together on the same nights at the same track."

The next major milestone in Haase's career came last season when Busch sponsored his NASCAR Camping World Series West endeavors where the driver finished in the top 10 of the point standings and was runner-up for rookie of the year.

Haase will try to run a handful of races in the series this season. His most recent showing came in May at the US Cellular 200 in Iowa, an effort spearheaded by crew chief Tom Busch and Richie Wauters, Busch's Craftsman Truck Series crew chief.

His No. 51 Chevy was fastest in the practice session but the driver cut a tire and hit the fence, ending his efforts early that day.

Granted, most of his time will be spent running for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) -- a regional Late Model series in the southeast -- but Haase still is easily frustrated if he can't produce results right away.

Outside race weekends, Haase works with his team owner at the Kyle Busch Motorsports shop building Super Late Model cars.

"I do what I can, come out here, drive and learn as much as I can," Haase said. "Kyle tells me, 'No racecar driver should be in a car without understanding how it works,' and I respect that. He's really knowledgeable about the car and Tom [Kyle's father] is at the shop every day managing things so I can see why they have been so successful."

Having Busch as a boss and mentor allows Haase to enjoy a side of the driver no one else gets to see.

When the two go and test the Late Model cars, on occasion Busch will help Haase by running the car himself to give the driver additional feedback and help out with the proper setups.

"And a couple of times, we have competitions on who can go faster at the end of the day," Haase said. "You can't have a better team owner. He's on a role in the Cup Series right now and I get to live at his house and look after it because he's never home."

Added Busch: "I'm excited about Haase's future and the opportunities we have to make him go farther."

Busch said if his driver runs well -- wins a couple of races and ultimately a championship in the PASS series -- he has intentions to move him up through the rungs of NASCAR racing.

Meanwhile, the owner continues to run Super Late Models around the country and enjoys having his own operation.

"Last year I helped out with other teams, but this year it's my own car and my own equipment," said Busch, who uses the hood of Haase's car to promote his Kyle Busch Foundation. "It's fun for me. I know what being a racecar driver is like but the ownership aspect is a new realm for me,"