The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season was one to forget for Kyle Busch. The Richard Childress Racing driver ran into 8 DNFs besides breaking a 19-year winning streak. But so what? Rowdy’s energy hasn’t waned, not just in NASCAR, but beyond the racetracks. That is what fans witnessed when the National Hockey League’s Greenville team hosted its annual ‘NASCAR Night.’

Based in South Carolina, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits conducts this event, staying true to racing country. Every year, a spectacular range of stock car racers grace the occasion, which witnesses a NASCAR-themed hockey game. Who better to hype up the Rabbits than NASCAR legend Kyle Busch?

Kyle Busch induces an adrenaline rush

Well, before the 2024 season, we all know what a fabulous journey it was. Over a career spanning two decades, Kyle Busch has stamped himself as the winningest active driver. He owns 63 NASCAR Cup Series race wins, and 231 victories across all three NASCAR series. This tally places him at par with the 200-time Cup Series race-winning legend Richard Petty. Busch also attained two Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019. So if the Greenville Swamp Rabbits could turn to anyone for inspiration, it would be Busch and his unbridled energy.

Kyle Busch brought his infectious aura to the 2025 edition of ‘NASCAR Night.’ Fixed against the Reading Royals, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits needed all the inspiration for the tough game. Busch obliged accordingly: “What’s up…you guys ready to rock tonight or what? I didn’t drive down here for two hours to see you guys get your a– kicked. So I’m ready to get some action out here. We got a little bit too much action out there, so make sure to put it between the pipes on the other side. So just wanna make sure you guys are ready to go, get amped up, go out there, and kick some a–.” 

Besides Kyle Busch, 14 other NASCAR drivers appear as guests for this special event. They include Bubba Wallace, Justin Haley, Michael McDowell, Rajah Caruth, and Joey Logano as well. For Spire Holdings, owners of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, the presence of Haley, McDowell, and Caruth was a no-brainer. The three are an integral part of Spire Motorsports’ future.

A dazzling addition to the Swamp Rabbits team this time was Tate Singleton. The 5’9”, 180-pound forward has a lot to boast about. He logged six games with the team and registered seven goals and 18 points in 26 games last season. The puck drop for the night where the rubber meets the ice was at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Saturday, January 25th.

Another special NASCAR guest has a very close connection with this game.

Treading on home ground

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Joey Logano scripted history in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. He clinched his third championship against extraordinary odds, beating the playoff format masterfully. Receiving him as another guest for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits’ NASCAR night was the icing on the cake. What is more, Logano himself has been associated with ice hockey. His father Tom helped build the Xtreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, N.C., which is the practice facility of the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Logano’s sister Danielle is a former professional figure skater and also works at the Indian Trail facility.

So the Connecticut native grew up either driving fast cars or wading through ice rinks. Yet the ambition to compete on professional racetracks pulled him away from skates, sticks, and pucks. That is what Joey Logano said back in 2018 when he was promoting an NHL game. “I played hockey for four or five years, but I got to the point that I was racing so much, I’d miss half the games. It’s kind of like, you have to pick one or the other. I wasn’t as good at hockey – I had fun playing, I still love playing – but I was a much better racecar driver. It seemed to work out all right.”

Evidently, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch both contribute immensely to the sport of hockey. Busch’s energy instilled some much-needed energy in the Swamp Rabbits team.