Las Vegas native Kurt Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026, will lead the field for the South Point 400 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 4, capping a weekend of tributes as the Speedway honors the life and career of his younger brother, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.
Busch’s racing roots run through Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s own backyard. After starting out in Dwarf Cars at Pahrump Valley Speedway as a teenager, he moved to The Bullring, the Speedway’s 3/8-mile paved oval, where he won three track titles, including the 1996 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Hobby Stock championship. That success launched him to the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series, where he was Rookie of the Year in 1998. The next season, he won a record four straight races and became the youngest champion in series history.
“The Busch brothers are woven into the history of this Speedway, from The Bullring all the way to the NASCAR Cup Series,” said Patrick Lindsey, Senior Vice President and General Manager of LVMS. “Having Kurt lead the field on a weekend dedicated to Kyle is a moment our fans, and everyone at this Speedway, will carry with them.”
Busch made his Cup Series debut in 2000 after starting the season in the NASCAR Truck Series. Over a Cup career that spanned more than two decades, he earned 34 wins in 776 starts, including the 2017 Daytona 500. His 2004 championship with Roush Racing was the first decided under NASCAR’s original Chase format, and he was later named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.
Sunday’s appearance also returns Busch to the site of his first Cup Series victory in his hometown. In September 2020, he won the South Point 400 by 0.148 seconds over Matt DiBenedetto in a two-lap overtime finish, in his 22nd career start at the track.
Busch joins a lineup of notable LVMS pace car drivers that includes WWE Superstar Tiffany Stratton, Olympic medalist and Las Vegas native Katie Grimes, former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and actor Nick Cannon.
The 2026 Fall NASCAR Chase Weekend runs Oct. 2–4 and features the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase Race on Saturday and the South Point 400 on Sunday, along with driver appearances and fan activities throughout the property. Tickets and more information are available at LVMS.com.
