Best NASCAR racer from each state, Part 6: Kyle or Kurt Busch; who gets Nebraska?
Editor's note: This is Part 6 of a 10-part series listing the best all-time NASCAR racer from each of the 50 states.
It was about 21 years ago and Kurt Busch was starting to win races and show definite signs of the star he would become.
Along the way, he said something like this: "If you think I'm good, wait until you see my little brother Kyle."
Kyle Busch was just starting his NASCAR journey but wasn't yet 18, and NASCAR had instituted a new rule making 18 the minimum age to compete in the Cup Series.
We all assumed young Kyle had some talent, given the attention he was getting from team owners, but by and large, Kurt's glowing words could be discarded as big brother being nice. Lots of potential had come along through the years and eventually headed home with an empty trunk of unfulfilled dreams.
But it wasn't long before Kyle began making Kurt look like a genius. Also, he began making Kurt look like the second best Busch. It took a lot to make that happen, and a lot is what Kyle Busch has delivered, which is why he tops our list of Nevada-bred stock-car racers.
Poor Kurt, he'd easily top the list of Nevada racers if not for the same guy who made him the second best racer in his own family.
Hey, it happens. In fact, today we'll also give a passing glance to Martin Truex Sr. and his son Ryan.
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Montana: Tony Raines (Glasgow)
Why Tony: He ran a combined 462 races in Cup and Xfinity between 2002-13, without a win, but in two full Truck Series seasons (1997-98) he had four wins and finished fifth in the ’98 standings.
Others from Montana: Chuck Stevenson, Pete Lovely.
Fun Fact: Chuck Stevenson won half of the Cup Series races he entered. So why isn’t he Montana’s representative here? Because he only entered two NASCAR races. His win came on a California road course (Willow Springs) when he crossed the checkers well ahead of Marvin Panch. He also competed in nine Indianapolis 500s and had four wins in Indy-style racing.
Nebraska: Joe Kosiski (Omaha)
UDPB: I talked to Joe Kosiski tonight about the final race at his family-owned I-80 Speedway.
He didn't want to start crying, so I tried keeping it light, but hope you all enjoy. pic.twitter.com/XPXazBSQFt— Connor Ferguson (@cfchangs9) October 16, 2022
Why Joe: Kosiski spent his racing career in NASCAR’s minor leagues, but shined mightily. He won the 1986 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series national championship, and was also a five-time champ of the old NASCAR All Star Busch Tour. He spent much of the past two decades owning and operating the I-80 Speedway in his home state.
Others from Nebraska: Bob Burdik, Roger Rager.
Fun fact: Bob Burdick made just 15 Cup Series starts between 1959-62, but he won one of them — at Atlanta in ’61 — and had three top-10s in just five starts that year.
Nevada: Kyle Busch (Las Vegas)
Why Kyle: Kurt Busch is a former Cup champ with 34 career wins, and 43 combined when you include Trucks and Xfinity. But again, he doesn’t represent his own family here. And look at Kyle Busch’s numbers and you know why: 63 Cup wins and two championships, and a combined 229 victories in the top three series.
The #NASCAR Mount Rushmore
Petty - 200 Cup Wins
Pearson - 105 Cup Wins
Gordon- 93 Cup Wins
Kyle Busch- all time win leader across all 3 series. pic.twitter.com/zVqbCf2KYQ— Trackhouse Fan Club (@FanTrackhouse) December 17, 2023
Others from Nevada: Kurt Busch, Brendan Gaughan, Noah Gragson, Riley Herbst, Louis Meyer, Bill Dennis, Spencer Gallagher, T.J. Bell, Eddie Skinner.
Fun fact: Both Kyle and Kurt Busch have one win in 25 Cup starts at their home track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
New Hampshire: Dale Shaw (Center Conway)
Why Dale: He ran 45 Xfinity Series races over 13 years, with his best season coming in1997, when he posted seven top-10s in 14 starts. In ARCA East, he collected 19 career wins and the 1994 championship.
Others from New Hampshire: Derek Griffith, Brad Leighton, Mike Olsen
Fun fact: Dale Shaw won ARCA East races in 13 different seasons between 1987-2002. He once won at least one race in nine of 10 seasons, and the one season he didn’t win a race, he won the championship.
New Jersey: Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta)
Why Martin: The 2017 Cup Series champ has 34 career wins, as well as back-to-back championships in the Xfinity Series (2004-05). He was the 2023 regular-season Cup champ before faltering in the playoffs.
Others from New Jersey: Mark Donohue, Neil Cole, Jimmy Horton, Wallly Dallenbach Sr., Joe Graf Jr., Frankie Muniz, Frankie Schneider, Martin Truex Sr., Ryan Truex.
Fun fact: Truex’s dad, Martin Sr., did most of his racing in the old Busch North Series. He went on to become one of the country’s top clam fisherman through a business formed with brother Barney — Sea Watch International.
Previously ... Bobby Allison through Rusty Wallace
Up Next: New Mexico through Ohio
We have to wade into the Richard Petty-or-Dale Earnhardt debate, because North Carolina is part of our next five-pack of states.
— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR List: 50 racers, 50 states; Kyle Busch or Kurt Busch for Nevada
