Samantha Busch Gets Emotional Over Kyle Busch’s Most Popular Driver Award: ‘He Wanted It So Bad’

· Yahoo Sports

Kyle Busch spent years trying to win NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award. He wanted it badly enough that, after one particularly disappointing result, he actually called NASCAR to find out how close he’d come.

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Now, he’s finally won it.

And for his wife, Samantha Busch, the recognition brought a flood of emotions.

Speaking to reporters on the red carpet at the 2026 NASCAR Awards, Samantha reflected on just how much the honor meant to her late husband, sharing stories about his determination to win and the overwhelming support that ultimately helped make it happen.

“Oh, I wanna cry thinking about it,” Samantha said in a video shared by NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass. “He wanted that award so bad for so many years and I’m so thrilled that he got it.”

But as Samantha explained, there was something even more meaningful about this particular victory. It wasn’t simply that fans had voted for Kyle. It was that some of his biggest competitors had encouraged their own supporters to do the same.

Samantha Busch Reveals Just How Badly Kyle Wanted the Award

Kyle Busch won plenty throughout his NASCAR career. Two Cup Series championships, more than 200 victories across NASCAR’s three national series and a reputation as one of the fiercest competitors in the garage.

But the Most Popular Driver Award was one honor he never managed to claim.

And apparently, he never stopped trying.

During a separate red carpet interview captured by NASCAR reporter Kelly Crandall, Samantha recalled one particularly memorable year when Kyle thought he might finally have enough votes to win.

“He would try to rally the fans and there was one year I think that either he didn’t see Chase out here or maybe Chase didn’t come and he was like, ‘I got it, I got it.’ And he was so excited,” Samantha recalled.

Then came the results.

“And then he didn’t. He was like, ‘really?'”

Kyle wasn’t about to leave it there.

“So he called NASCAR and he’s like, ‘I wanna see the numbers. Like, how far off was I? Was I close?'”

It’s a story that captures Busch’s competitive personality perfectly. Whether he was chasing a checkered flag or a fan-voted award, coming up short wasn’t something he took lightly.

And knowing that he had finally won by such a convincing margin made the announcement even sweeter for Samantha.

“So the fact that, as you said, he won by a landslide, I know he’s up there like, ‘there you go, I did that.'”

Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson Helped Make Kyle Busch’s Longtime Wish Come True

Of everything surrounding the award, Samantha said one detail stood out above the rest: the support Kyle received from the very drivers he had spent years racing against.

“I think the coolest thing about it is just how the other drivers came together in order to rally their fans behind him,” she told Pockrass.

That included Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, two of NASCAR’s most recognizable drivers, whose own fan bases have traditionally been major forces in the annual voting.

For Samantha, their willingness to put aside the competition said something important about the people behind the helmets.

“I think a lot of people see, you know, their competitors or they don’t like each other. But at the end of the day, NASCAR’s a big family.”

She continued: “And just seeing, you know, Chase and Larson and all of them being like, ‘no, give this to Kyle, give this to Kyle,’ like, I know he’s up there being like, ‘well, I finally got it.'”

For a driver who spent much of his career embracing the role of NASCAR’s villain, the outpouring of support carried particular weight.

Kyle didn’t always have the crowd on his side. He knew that better than anyone. Yet when the opportunity came to give him an award he’d wanted for years, the racing community rallied behind him.

Brexton Busch Had a Priceless Reaction to His Dad’s NASCAR Honor

The recognition also meant something special to Kyle and Samantha’s children.

Samantha revealed that their son, Brexton, was thrilled when she told him his father had finally won the award.

“I also think, you know, for the kids, it’s really special,” she said.

“I think when I told Brexton, I was like, ‘hey, Dad got it.’ He was like, ‘No way!’ And, you know, he was really pumped. So that’s exciting for them.”

For Brexton, who has already begun making a name for himself in racing, the honor is another piece of his father’s legacy.

And for Samantha, the moment was about much more than another NASCAR trophy.

She remembered the years Kyle spent campaigning for votes, the disappointment when he came up short and the competitive streak that once prompted him to call NASCAR looking for answers.

Now, after all those years, the award he wanted so badly finally has his name on it.

And judging by Samantha’s emotional remarks on the NASCAR Awards red carpet, she knows exactly how proud he would have been.

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