Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is an American race car driver. He drives the #18 Mars/Interstate Batteries/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the #18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the #51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota Tundra for Billy Ballew Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series. He currently has the record for most wins in a season between the three series with 21 wins, which he got in 2008. He also is the only NASCAR driver to win races in two of its national touring series on the same day by winning the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series races held on February 21, 2009. He is only the second driver to ever win on their birthday, winning on May 2, 2009, his 24th birthday, in the Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway. He is the younger brother of 2004 Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch.

Busch’s first driving lessons came at the age of 6 when he drove around the cul-de-sac of his family’s Las Vegas home in a makeshift go-kart. Although he was too small to reach the throttle, Busch still was able to pick up the basics from his father Tom, who controlled the gas pedal as his young son steered the kart. Throughout his childhood, Busch spent many hours as an apprentice to his father and older brother Kurt in the family garage learning to build and repair race cars. By the age of 10, he was a full-fledged mechanic and served as crew chief of his older brother’s dwarf car team.

In 1998, shortly after his 13th birthday, Busch’s driving career officially began. From 1999 through 2001, Busch earned more than 65 wins in legends cars as he racked up two track championships at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s “Bullring” before moving to late models. He captured 10 victories in late model competition at the Bullring in 2001.