NASCAR drivers have different ways of honing their wheeling skills. For Kyle Larson, it was becoming a dirt racing connoisseur. From racing outlaw karts as a teenager to clinching the Chili Bowl Nationals three times as an adult, Larson knows his go-to place outside of NASCAR. However, hopping into a dirt vehicle to practice for the Cup Series may not be every driver’s cup of tea – like Kyle Busch.

The two-time Cup Series champion drew a lot of attention to himself in the dirt world at the turn of 2025. Besides competing in the Tulsa Shootout along with his son Brexton, Kyle Busch also debuted in the Chili Bowl Nationals. Yet nothing can convince him about dirt racing’s value to his core profession.

Kyle Busch dials down dirt value

When the Covid-10 pandemic rocked the world, NASCAR changed. Practice times were drastically reduced from 2 hours to a meager 20 minutes to follow the restriction protocol. That truncated time has become the norm now, stuttering drivers’ ability to adapt. Things have become more difficult, especially after NASCAR rolled out the Next-Gen car in 2022.

The dirt and sprint enthusiasts like Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson found a way out and utilized the dirt events on weekdays to practice for the weekend Cup races. No wonder Larson picked up six Cup race wins last year, double that of any competitor. Yet Kyle Busch refuses to believe that dabbling in the dirt racing world has anything to do with it. He had picked up back-to-back wins in the Tulsa Shootout. Busch put in a marvelous effort at the Chili Bowl, as he advanced to the E-Main on January 18th. But a deep-positioned start ended his weekend.

That failure was still hanging over Busch’s head in an interview with NASCAR Live. He said dirt racing practically does not help with Cup racing: “I would say tendencies or race craft, race-car – like what can you take from a dirt car to a NASCAR car- nothing.”

Holding 102 Xfinity Series race wins and 66 Craftsman Truck Series trophies, Kyle Busch assigned more importance to NASCAR’s lower tiers. The 2009 Xfinity champion said, “As far as making reps or making laps in a Truck race or an Xfinity race to set yourself up for a Cup race on Sunday, zero.” Yet Busch also conceded to a few benefits that one can reap from dirt racing. “Maybe a little bit, just like health-wise, cardio-wise…It’s just a part of feeling, being in the car, hand-eye coordination, reactions, things like that. So you definitely get a lot of that that you can stay fresh on.” 

What is more, Kyle Busch is even going slow on a grand request. That request came from none other than Kyle Larson.

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Weighing his abilities first

Kyle Larson ardently believes in the value of dirt racing. The 2021 Cup Series champion remains adamant about skipping simulator sessions to hit the country’s best dirt tracks. That is all because he wants to feel “the realism, the competition, the joy” of a physical racing car. Naturally, Larson also seeks to impart that feeling to fellow racers, through his High Limit Racing enterprise. Co-founded with Larson’s brother and dirt racing veteran Brad Sweet, HLR has skyrocketed to prominence not only in the US but also internationally in Australia. And Larson seeks to expand his list of guest drivers – as he is targeting Kyle Busch.

However, the Richard Childress Racing driver is not so keen on this offer, though. Kyle Busch made his sprint car debut at the Chili Bowl Nationals and now would like to take things slow. He admitted to his skeptical approach recently: “Larson’s trying to get me to do it. He wants me to run a race in it already. I’m like, hold on a second, I haven’t even sat in one!” Busch is also feeling jittery about mastering the non-winged format. “I think it’d be fun. I enjoy the wing side more here honestly than the non-wing side. Why? I don’t know. I guess the real drivers are the non-wing guys. I’m not a real driver… yet.” Yet what beats a challenge? Busch also said, “I would at least like to give it a shot. At least go test, at least go run, get some laps in one, and just kind of feel it out.”

Evidently, Kyle Busch is cautiously approaching the dirt racing world. Only one thing may be lingering on his mind – how to redeem his Cup Series glory.