Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't always get along. But over the years, the two NASCAR racing legends became good friends.
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"But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams," Earnhardt wrote on X on May 21. "I was super eager for us to get on better terms. But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible."
Busch died last Thursday at the age of 41. The driver's family shared that the cause of death was severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.
During Prime Video's broadcast of yesterday's Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, viewers could hear Earnhardt's admiration for his friend in the video tribute he narrated.
What Did Dale Earnhardt Jr. Say About His Friend Kyle Busch?
Earnhardt began the video by talking about the beginnings of Busch's career.
"Kyle was born into racing," Earnhardt said. "He drove go-karts before he could reach the pedals. His dad working the gas as Kyle sped around the homemade course. About 10 years old, he was the crew chief of [his brother] Kurt's team. And at 13, his own racing career began."
Earnhardt then went on to talk about Busch's swagger, his victories and the signature bow he gave when he reached the finish line. Earnhardt also shared a story about how Busch said he wanted to be remembered.
"Some time ago, Kyle was asked how he wanted to be thought of when he retired," he said. "His answer: 'The first thing they'll remember me by are my on-track success.' And then he added, 'The second thing would be how I grew up in the limelight. I started this when I was 18 years old, and now, I'm 26. And when I retire, I'll be 40.
Earnhardt added, "'And they'll see the whole transition of my life, and how I made it through. And it was all under the skeptics' eye. Certainly, I know wasn't the best coming in, and I'm not now. But we'll see how it turns out when I'm 40.' It turned out to be legendary."
Earnhardt Then Shared How He Would Remember Busch
Earnhardt then got emotional as he shared what he would remember most about the rival who eventually became his friend.
"I'll always remember him as a guy who hated to lose more than anybody," Earnhardt said. "He won more races across the top-three NASCAR series than any driver in history, with win No. 234 coming in the Truck Series just last weekend at Dover."
After the video, Earnhardt then shared the following about Busch with Carl Edwards:
"The other thing that I see about Kyle, and I've learned about Kyle over the last several years, is how badly he wanted to be appreciated. And I hope wherever he is, that he is seeing all of the great things that everybody has been saying about him over the last couple of days."
You can see the tribute to Busch below.
