A Kyle Busch memory: That time he ‘raced’ Patrick Mahomes around Kansas Speedway
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kyle Busch died at 41 after being hospitalized for a severe illness, family said.
- Busch had 36 starts at Kansas Speedway and won there on his 36th birthday in 2021.
- In May 2021, Kyle Busch, Patrick Mahomes and Clint Bowyer raced together on iRacing.
NASCAR fans in Kansas City shared memories of Kyle Busch on social media after they heard the shocking news of his death on Thursday.
The 41-year-old racing icon who won more races across NASCAR’s three national series than any other driver ever, died after he was hospitalized Thursday as the result of a severe illness, according to his family, NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing.
No other details of the circumstances or the illness were made public. Busch was scheduled to compete at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Local fans got to know him through 36 starts at Kansas Speedway, where he racked up a win in 2021 on his 36th birthday.
But Busch’s toughest competitor in May 2021 was someone known to Kansas City football fans, when he “raced” against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
It was just for fun.
Busch and Mahomes, an avid racing fan and Formula 1 team co-owner, competed in a friendly virtual race on the iRacing platform that sent them speeding around the Kansas Speedway track. They were joined by NASCAR on Fox commentator Clint Bowyer, an Emporia, Kansas native.
Actor Eric Stonestreet showed up to cheer on Mahomes as the three men duked it out in the racing simulation game.
“I wanted to bring you into our world a little bit,” Bowyer told the Super Bowl champ as he arrived at the Chiefs’ training facility, where the simulators were set up. “You down for some racing?”
“I’m down to try to,” Mahomes said.
“Let’s see what you got,” Bowyer challenged him.
“What’s the biggest trick I need to know, Clint?” Mahomes asked as they buzzed around the track.
“The throttle’s your friend,” Bowyer said. “When in doubt, throttle out.”
Bowyer told Mahomes that Stonestreet was on hand because “if you’re going to be a NASCAR driver you need a spotter, your eye in the sky.”
At one point, Stonestreet jokingly quoted former Chiefs head coach Hank Stram, when he told Mahomes to “keep matriculating down the track!”
As the cars headed into the final lap, Stonestreet told Mahomes to take his hands off the wheel, which shocked Bowyer.
“Hands off the wheel? You can’t tell the driver to take his hands off the … hey, whatever, just quit driving, Patrick,” Bowyer said. “That’s the best advice I think I’ve ever heard.”
“For the record I was telling him hands off the wheel when he was crashing,” Stonestreet said.
Here’s the video to see who won.
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