On Thursday, May 21st, the shocking news that one of NASCAR's most successful drivers in history, Kyle Busch, had passed away at the age of 41 rocked the motorsports world. His premature death was due to sepsis that developed from untreated pneumonia. Busch had become one of the most polarizing drivers the sport has ever seen; you either loved him or hated him. Many would even say that they loved to hate him. His cocky attitude, hot-headed temper, aggressive racing, and firey personality ruffled many feathers among his detractors, but also captured the hearts of his die-hard fans.
Regardless of fan opinion, there is no denying the tremendous influence he had on the sport. The iconic #18 M&M's car is instantly recognizable to any NASCAR fan in the last two decades. Kyle Busch holds the honor of the most race wins in NASCAR history across the sport's top three divisions with a combined total of 234 victories.
Daron Malakian (System of a Down, Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway) shared a tribute to the late NASCAR driver on Instagram, citing him as his all time favorite driver.
In the comment section, Malakian confirms that he in fact listed Kyle Busch as one of the people he thanked in the booklet of the first Scars on Broadway album.
NASCAR isn't typically associated with nu metal, more so with country music, but this isn't the first time the two have crossed over. Just earlier this year, Korn's own Jonathan Davis appeared at the Pennzoil 400 as the Grand Marshal. Kyle Busch himself named bands such as Linkin Park, Metallica, and Godsmack as some of his favorite artists. Back in 2002, NASCAR released a compilation album featuring nu metal staples including Slipknot, Static-X, Staind, (hed) p.e., and Nonpoint.
On a personal note, this one hits very hard. My childhood consisted of three main interests: metal, professional wrestling, and NASCAR (fun fact: Kyle Busch appeared as a special guest host of WWE Monday Night Raw in 2009 and also won the WWE 24/7 Championship in 2019). Little 9 year old me declared that her favorite driver was Kyle Busch, and he has remained my favorite to this day as a 26 year old. Even though I haven't watched NASCAR in a few years, I still hold the sport close to my heart. I have so many fond memories of watching the races every weekend with my parents, whether it was on TV or in person at the racetrack. Thank you for the years of entertainment, "Rowdy." Rest in peace to one of the greatest ever.
