The NASCAR community continues to honor Kyle Busch following his unexpected passing earlier this year. On August 18, the sport observed “Kyle Busch Day,” commemorating the dates 8/18 that marked the numbers he raced under for most of his career. Fellow drivers took time during the tribute to share stories about how the veteran driver shaped their careers.
One driver offering insight was Zane Smith, who appeared as a guest on the Door Bumper Clear podcast alongside Front Row Motorsports teammate Noah Gragson. After Gragson highlighted Busch’s tough yet fair leadership, Smith recounted an early encounter with the veteran driver.
“What stands out to me was when we went back to racing at Charlotte,” Smith said. “I’d always pulled for Kyle; I was a huge Kyle Busch fan growing up. This was right in his prime of winning Friday, Saturday and then Sunday. I think I was third, and to take the lead I split them three‑wide. We had an awesome battle. I remember on the radio he was like, ‘Who the f*** is in the No. 21?’”
Smith believes the angry shout helped spark interest in him from other fans.
“I think people were like, ‘Who is in the No. 21? Let’s look into him.’”
After that early battle, Smith later matched up against Busch on the front row at Texas—the very track where, as a ten‑year‑old fan, he had asked for a picture with him. “He could have easily ignored me and big‑timed me, but he respected the game at the time,” Smith said. “That was a full‑circle moment. I had this picture where I was a fan asking to take a picture with him when I was probably 10 years old at Texas Motor Speedway. Years later, we’re starting on the front row together.”
