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LAS VEGAS — Dressed in bright candy-colored T-shirts with “2015 Sprint Cup Champion” hats on their heads and unmistakable pride in their eyes, a large contingent of Kyle Busch fans lined up behind the reigning champ’s pit stall during qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his home track.
Their effort to be near greatness paid off the next day as they got to celebrate Saturday afternoon watching Busch completely dominate the XFINITY Series race — leading all but one of the 200 laps — en route to his first XFINITY win in front of his hometown crowd.
After the race, the series all-time lap leader took three victory bows — his trademark celebration — with the winning checkered flag. And he was still smiling as the sun began to set.
“It feels really good. Check that box off in Vegas so only one more left,” Kyle Busch said of his quest to win at every XFINITY Series venue.
“Certainly it was really cool to have the opportunity to win here. I have had many opportunities but didn’t quite have the day we needed to get it done. The work that goes into everything makes my job look easy. And today was pretty special to get a win here in front of my hometown.”
And, he said smiling, “It’s always fun to go every week and see how intros go.”
Busch’s older brother Kurt will start Sunday’s Kobalt 400 Sprint Cup race from the pole here and Kyle joins him as a favorite on race day as well.
The two may face a tough crowd at some of the places they visit and race around the country, but especially here “at home” there is unmistakable admiration and pride for the Busch brothers.
Other places, they may endure a loud, resounding chorus of “boos” during driver introduction — considered by most a twisted compliment for winning too much — but here in their native Las Vegas there is a decided feeling of adoration for the two Cup champions.
“My aunt still asks me, ‘why do you like him? He’s the bad guy in NASCAR,’ ” Kyle Busch fan James Moulton, 48, of Las Vegas, said smiling.
“I tell her, you watch in the next couple of years everyone will come around and root for him. That’s already happening.”
Moulton’s friend Hector Nunez is a new fan to NASCAR, but you’d never know it considering the Kyle Busch apparel he is dressed in, from hat to T-shirt to the lanyard holding his ticket. He still has a photo from Homestead-Miami Speedway saved on his phone — the tall scoring pylon showing “Kyle Busch 2015 Champion” on it from the minutes immediately after last year’s season finale in South Florida.
“I like his personality and I like that he’s serious,” Nunez explained, as he proudly showed off his photo to the Busch fans around him.
Neither of the men is put off by the sometimes tough reception that typically greets their favorite driver at tracks across the country. They have even been approached and chided by people just because of their Busch apparel.
“Usually it’s a ‘boo’ or they stop and ask, ‘Why do you like that guy?’ and I gladly answer them, ‘You will see when you watch the Chase,’ ” Moulton said.
Sixteen-year-old Hunter Frey stood among the crowd on Las Vegas pit road this weekend, donning an M&M’s hat and brightly colored Kyle Busch T-shirt. He said he met Busch when he was only 7 years old and has been a fan ever since — even though he conceded with a slight smile, most of his friends are Junior fans.
Frey doesn’t care. He’s buoyed by the fact his driver has something theirs doesn’t: a championship trophy.
“I like how Kyle’s aggressive on the track and not afraid to say how it is,” Frey said proudly. “I like his personality.”
As you might expect, the Busch brothers are must-have subjects for the local Las Vegas media covering the race weekend. And both drivers indulged interviews Friday afternoon.
“Vegas is different,” Kurt Busch said. “It’s our hometown and we grew up racing on that little 3/8-mile bullring that is in the shadows of this 1.5-mile track. Every time I come out here it reminds me of all the people that helped Kyle and I, especially our Dad, Tom. But the different late model teams, modified teams, the legend car races and all the competitors, the dwarf car days.
“It’s just fun to come back and reminisce. But, ultimately you’ve got to strap on the helmet and focus on the task at hand.”
MORE: Kurt says ‘gnarly’ wind will be a factor Sunday
His younger brother agreed, but his highly competitive nature was most evident — home or not.
“You always want to win every week so it makes no difference if you’re in Daytona or Vegas,” Kyle Busch matter-of-factly explained. “There seems to be a little more coolness here in Las Vegas, taking another one for the hometown would be cool.”
It’s something Kyle Busch doesn’t take for granted, either. Last year he didn’t get to race in his hometown after severely breaking his right leg and left foot in an accident at the end of the XFINITY Series season-opener. He missed the first 11 Cup races of the season before returning and winning four times in the regular season, earning a Chase playoff bid and ultimately winning the Sprint Cup championship after a victory in the last race of the year.
It was one of the most incredible accomplishments in the sport’s history and duly noted by even those who may not have cheered for Busch before.
One of the most interesting and significant things his longtime public relations representative Bill Janitz has recognized in the start of this year’s schedule is “Everyone is calling him ‘champ’ now. … It gets him to smile for sure.”
Certainly the reaction to Busch’s weekly introductions are audibly different — a lot less booing and a lot more cheering. It is a genuine appreciation for the path Busch has walked.
“He’s the hometown hero here,” said 12-year-old Nolan Sepulveda, of Las Vegas, who purchased a Kyle Busch champion’s hat just for the race weekend.
MORE: Kurt’s No. 41, Kyle’s No. 18 and the rest of the field in photos
“At first, I didn’t think he was going to pull it off and win the championship because it would be just too good to be true. To break his leg then come back and end up winning the whole thing. … that’s incredible.”
And when you come to Las Vegas, in particular, few would argue that point.
“I always want to come out here and have a good run and do a good job and more important win a race to get locked into the Chase,” Kyle Busch said. “But being here in Vegas, whether it’s Vegas or Kansas or anywhere else, being in Victory Lane is where it looks best at the end of the day.”
