Married in 2010 after meeting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2007, Kyle and Samantha Busch have been through a lot. Their battle with infertility that they’ve opened up about in the past, and their unfiltered social media presence, has built a platform for the couple that is as real as it is relatable. So, when Kyle Busch took a sassy jab at his better half during a recent podcast, fans weren’t only laughing out loud; they got to witness yet another snippet from a marriage steeped in love, hustle, and a lot of humor.

Who is Kyle Busch’s chef?

In NASCAR, physical fitness and diet are no laughing matter. Drivers withstand hours in high temperatures and massive G forces, with heart rates frequently staying around 160 bpm. As Jimmie Johnson once put it, “For a lot of drivers, nutrition is the final piece that they need to figure out, it’s an unspoken thing that many do not do.” The seven-time Cup Series champion trains like a triathlete and eats like one, too. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, he shared how he avoids processed foods, relies upon lean meats and vegetables, and even concocts his own smoothies and energy bars to avoid performance dips during long race days.

On the Something’s Burning podcast, host Bert Kreischer brought up fitness and asked Kyle Busch if he traveled with a personal chef. “Yep,” Kyle said flatly, but then boldly claimed his pro athlete title. “I’m a lean, mean fighting machine,” he added, flexing that kind of bravado that fans know so well. Listeners were picturing all sorts of entourage, like dietitians and trainers.

Then, Busch hit them with the punchline, “Yeah, her name’s Samantha.“ Without skipping a beat, Samantha chimed in, “No, he doesn’t, it’s me. Just me.” It landed a laugh, but it is also a reminder that behind every fast driver is someone keeping them fueled and focused, and to be a championship-winning driver, it all starts with the diet. However, Kyle Busch has also emphasized that sometimes, a healthy lifestyle can only get you so far. 

Back in the day, NASCAR drivers were used to a routine of going out on weekdays to have some beers and did not follow a strict diet focused on elite physical shape. Jimmie Johnson’s aforementioned diet revolutionized the sport in many ways, as teams and their crew chiefs started taking notice and encouraged younger drivers to follow this blueprint set by the 7-time Cup Series Champion. Kyle Busch touched on this change in an episode of the Pat McAfee show in 2024, saying, “Jimmie [Johnson] ruined it for a lot of us… I got yelled at by my crew chief that I’m getting a little chunky, a little heavy… So I spent six months in the gym working out, slimmed down, lost some pounds, and whatnot. The results didn’t change. Nothing happened. It’s all about the car you got.” 

Kyle Busch is probably part of the last era of NASCAR drivers who focused on purely being the fastest driver rather than the physical and dietary side of things. However, with physical fitness becoming a key factor in an ever-evolving sport, he, too, has learned to evolve his fitness, but without any fancy chefs or food plans. He just trusts the love of his life and gives it his all on the racetrack.

The best example of a modern era driver focusing on fitness is Chase Elliott. Being a 7-time Most Popular Driver winner and the 2020 Cup Series Champion, he knows the importance of a good diet. In a GQ interview, he explained how he is into whole foods like grilled chicken, rice, and vegetables while cutting back on sugar and processed snacks. “Before the race, I’m pretty strict on a grilled-chicken-type lunch with rice and corn. I don’t like to eat a ton because I don’t want to feel full going into a race.” Perhaps such strategies are true for Samantha Busch when she is back in the kitchen, devising meals that are light, energy-packed, and easy to digest when your office hits 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Kyle Busch’s claim of being a “lean, mean fighting machine” is not wrong, though. The veteran driver is turning 40 this May, yet his physical fitness shows no signs of slowing down. While wins in the Cup Series might have dried up, being winless since 2023, his efforts on the track have not slowed down one bit. The two-time Cup Series Champion is equipped with the blueprint for success, and with his wife keeping his food clean every week, we hope Rowdy returns to victory lane as soon as possible. 

What do you think of the importance of physical fitness in NASCAR? Let us know in the comments!