Former Berlin Raceway favorite Kyle Busch remembered for legacy beyond wins

Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and one of the winningest drivers in the sport’s history, died Thursday at 41, three days before he was scheduled to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A cause of death has not been released.  

Busch won 234 races across NASCAR’s top three national series, including 63 Cup Series victories, the ninth most all-time. He also won Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019, building a career defined by dominance, intensity and a nickname that followed him everywhere: “Rowdy.”  

But at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan, those who knew Busch saw more than the driver behind the helmet. Jeff Striegle, the general manager of Berlin Raceway, said Busch’s reputation often depended on whether fans only knew him as a competitor or had the chance to see him away from the car.

“How Kyle was perceived was either one of two different ways,” Striegle said. “You either loved Kyle Busch and everything about him or you didn’t like Kyle Busch and everything about him, and until you really get to know someone like Kyle, you don’t know what he’s all about. Not only was he a tremendous asset to motorsports in general, but he was also a very, very good person.”

Busch raced at Berlin Raceway multiple times beginning in 2011. The track even had a race named after him, the Rowdy 251. Busch won that event three straight times, cementing part of his short-track legacy in West Michigan.  

Whether it was NASCAR or a local raceway, Striegle said Busch showed up with the same mentality.

“Finishing second was not in his vocabulary,” Striegle said. “He was there for one reason and one reason only, and that was to win. And obviously because of that, he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Not only fellow drivers, but also people in the stands that wanted to cheer for the nice guy. Well, he wasn’t a nice guy when he was in his race car.”

Busch’s death also leaves a hole far beyond the racing world. He is survived by his wife, Samantha, and their two children, Brexton and Lennix. His son, Brexton, has already started building his own name in racing. For Striegle, that is the part of Busch’s legacy that matters most.

“A dad. I really do,” Striegle said when asked how Busch would want to be remembered. “He has two kids and I think that’s where our hearts ache right now. Yes, we lost a great race car driver, but we also lost a husband and a father.”

Striegle said Busch was preparing for the next chapter of his life, one that included helping guide his son’s racing career.

“He was going to step away from NASCAR because his young son’s racing career is really starting to blossom because of dad, because of Kyle,” Striegle said.

The trophies, wins and championships will remain part of Busch’s story. But at Berlin Raceway, Striegle said his impact is also measured by the people he brought with him and the mark he left on short tracks across the country.