It’s not easy raising a prodigy. Just ask Kyle Busch, whose nine-year-old son Brexton recently won the Golden Driller trophy at the 2025 Tulsa Shootout’s Junior Sprint A-Main event. While NASCAR has seen plenty of father-son duos in the past, ‘Rowdy’ does feel weighed by the expectations placed on his shoulders now that he’s a role model. His aggressive racing style, outspoken personality, and fiery confrontations are not ‘ideal’ for his son to grow up watching, but the 40-year-old only wants what’s best for his kid.
While Denny Hamlin knows what it takes to be a father, having raised Taylor and Molly alongside his fiance Jordan Fish, the couple are now expecting a baby boy. And Busch is already issuing a warning sign to his former teammate that things are going to get very tricky.
Kyle Busch feels a sense of responsibility
Brexton Busch is making quite a name for himself. Despite his age, the racer pretty much held his own against a two-time Cup Series champ, Kyle Busch, at Millbridge Speedway earlier this year, showing that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Even though ‘Rowdy’ managed to finish third after taking advantage of the final restart, his son ended up in an impressive sixth-place finish out of 20 cars. While the youngster is getting mentorship from arguably a generational talent, training his kid is proving to be easier said than done.
Sharing his experience on the Actions Detrimental podcast, Kyle Busch said, “I think a lot of it too is like, Brexton racing for, be glad you don’t have kids racing. Don’t. Not yet. Just don’t do it.” Revealing his concerns about coming across as a hypocrite, the Nevada native said, “I think Brexton being a racer and racing, and my messages that I’m trying to deliver to him, I’m now taking more sense in of understanding, right? I can’t do something this way when I’m trying to teach him that way. So like, I need to do that, so it makes more sense that I’m living by my word, you know?”
That’s not easy for Busch, especially now that he’s in the middle of a 69-race winless streak. Having that edge is what made the driver immensely successful on the racetrack, but with Brexton analyzing his every move, the 40-year-old needs to set an example. Even if that means unlearning what he’s familiar with to make sure his nine-year-old picks up the ‘right’ lessons from his father. That’s a lesson Denny Hamlin is bracing himself for as well, especially if his son follows in his footsteps.
However, that doesn’t mean Kyle Busch is not living with the times. Recognizing that the younger generation is digitally savvy, he has helped his nine-year-old build a ‘brand’, something Hamlin found hard to believe. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran was shocked when co-host Jared Allen revealed Brexton’s logo, and went on to say, “That is not true. Don’t even lie.” In response, Busch said, “I believe it. Brexton’s got a logo. Who do you think came up with the logo? I did. And I was like, this can be bad-ss.”
Denny Hamlin sheds light on mentoring younger drivers
He might not have a Cup Series title to his name, but Denny Hamlin is undoubtedly one of NASCAR’s most talented drivers. Over his two-decade-long career, the No. 11 racer has been there and done that, dealing with every challenge the stock car racing world could throw at him and adapting across different eras. Since he didn’t come from a racing background, the Florida native had to make his own way, climbing up the ladder one step at a time on merit.
Sure, there were mistakes along the way, but Hamlin learned and passed on that knowledge, hoping it would benefit the younger racers. Explaining his mindset, the veteran said, “Yes you can bring up 20 clips of me doing the exact opposite that I’m trying to tell you to do, but that’s because I’ve learned from my mistakes. I know what I did wrong in retrospect. Now, in the moment I didn’t see it that way, but you just learn over time what is the right way, what’s the wrong way, and you definitely try to lead by example.”
That’s a strategy he will follow if his son ever decides to become a racer as well. While ‘Rowdy’ had his father, Tom Busch, who raced in the early 1970s and 80s, as well as older brother Kurt Busch to show him the ropes, Denny Hamlin learned it all on his own. That’s a journey his son would never have to go through, should he choose to live life in the fast lane. Perhaps the younger Hamlin will fulfill his father’s dream and lift the Bill France Cup one day? You never know.
The post “Just Don’t Do It” – Expectant Father Denny Hamlin Warned by Kyle Busch of Raising a Prodigy appeared first on EssentiallySports.