Winning a Super Bowl is the ultimate achievement for an NFL player. But can you imagine a Super Bowl champion jumping over a pit wall, changing tires in eight seconds, and working on a 200-mph race car? That’s exactly what Josh Bush is doing. The former Denver Broncos man, who won Super Bowl 50 alongside Peyton Manning, has traded the gridiron for pit road. From tackling NFL receivers to tightening lug nuts at lightning speed, Bush’s career transition is as shocking as it is inspiring.

While most football players retire and move into coaching, broadcasting, or business ventures, Bush chose an entirely different path. As a tire changer for Daniel Suárez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing team, Bush has found a second career. Ahead of the Atlanta Spring Race, Bush opens up about the reality of two different sporting worlds.

Josh Bush reflects on his journey

Growing up, Josh Bush never imagined that he would end up in NASCAR. While the transition from the NFL to NASCAR might seem unusual, Bush has embraced the challenge with the same determination. Speaking about his NASCAR experience, Bush described the rush of being on pit road.

“Yeah, Sunday will be a good atmosphere, man. You still get that adrenaline going. A lot of people in the crowd, in the stands. Don’t want to get hit out here, that’s for sure. It’s almost like, you know, football—you catch an interception, everything just goes silent, and you kind of just, you know, release everything and just do it. And next thing you know, the stop’s over. Yeah, it happens fast. We’re doing stops in eight seconds,” Bush told Xavier Walton.

His comments reflect that NASCAR pit stops are a completely different kind of battle. In Super Bowl 50, Bush played on one of the best defenses in NFL history. He earned two crucial tackle points for his team and won the historic event against the Carolina Panthers. Now, in NASCAR, he reacts just as quickly, making precision movements in under 10 seconds during pit stops. Notably, in 2023, Suárez finished second at the Quaker State 400 in Atlanta and Bush played a key role in ensuring the car got back on track quickly. In 2024, once again, Suárez dominated the Atlanta track by winning the spring race by a fraction of a second.

He further compared the mental preparation required for both sports. “You got them in your ear, they say, ‘Do it till you forget it.’ You know, so when you jump off the wall, you’re not even thinking about anything, You’re just reacting and just doing what you’ve been coached to do—doing what you’ve been trained to do.” While his words highlight the similarities between the football field and NASCAR pit road, his journey to speedways was difficult.

Josh Busch started his NFL career with the New York Jets before moving to Buffalo Bills. His biggest success came with the Denver Broncos in 2015. However, when he retired from football, he faced the same challenge that many former athletes do—what comes next? That answer came unexpectedly from his friend and NASCAR driver, Austin Dillon. He convinced Bush to join him as pit crew at Richard Childress Racing.

Despite his natural athletic ability, the transition was not easy. Bush, who made first-team All-ACC in college and once ended Russell Wilson’s record streak without an interception, found himself struggling to keep up in his new role. However, after hours of practice and experience, he thrived in the sport. In 2022, he joined Trackhouse Racing as a pit crew for Daniel Suárez.

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NFL stars who found a second home in NASCAR!

Over the years, several NFL stars have made their transition into the roaring world of NASCAR. One of the most notable examples is Mike Cofer. The former San Francisco 49ers kicker won two Super Bowls in 1988 and 1989 before diving into racing. In 1994, he became the only Super Bowl winner to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race. He won at Stockton 99 Speedway by leading every lap from the start. Though his NASCAR career was short-lived, he left a lasting mark as a rare crossover athlete.

However, the biggest NFL star to succeed in the NASCAR world is none other than ‘The Coach’ Joe Gibbs. Gibbs won three Super Bowls as the head coach of the Washington Commanders before founding Joe Gibbs Racing. With nine championships and more than 400 race wins in the top two series, JGR is one of the most successful teams in NASCAR history. Under Gibbs’ leadership, JGR has won at least one race each year since 1993. Drivers like Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Tony Stewart have wheeled for JGR.

Apart from them, multiple athletes thrive in NASCAR after leaving their primary careers. Many of these athletes enter NASCAR through programs like “Drive for Diversity.” The initiative led by coach Phillip Horton, has introduced over 175 former athletes to NASCAR, making up nearly 10% of the sport’s pit crews. Horton explained why former football players are a perfect fit for pit road. “We found it easier to train athletes, to learn a little bit of the mechanical side of it than have mechanics become athletes to become performers.”

These successful stories like Josh Bush and Joe Gibbs highlight the growing connection between football and NASCAR. While the two sports may seem worlds apart, they share a reliance on teamwork, precision, and mental toughness.