Kyle Busch left a mark on his legacy at most tracks he visited. Most of those came from wins, while some of those came from truly ‘Rowdy’ moments. 

For Nashville, the first Kyle Busch memory that will come to mind for every fan is the iconic guitar smash after his first win at the track. While it wasn’t well-received then, over the years, the moment has aged better. 

Busch was driving the 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in 2009, the same year he went on to become the NOAPS champion. Busch won at Nashville and was presented with the custom Gibson Les Paul guitar that was painted by Sam Bass. Rowdy then held the $25,000 guitar over his head and smashed it. 

After a first failed attempt, the second was more successful, after which he tossed the guitar to his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. The ‘Rowdy’ celebration caught a lot of attention from folks in NASCAR as well as musicians, calling it disrespectful. 

Rowdy clarified his celebrations the week after in Michigan. In the press conference, he said, “I never thought it would get that much attention, but it certainly drew the eyes of the fans, and you know, it is what it is. I thought it was a neat idea to share the guitar with the whole team, and in the spirit of rock and roll, smash it up.”

While he would eventually make up for it, Busch backed up his celebrations and said, “A lot of people enjoyed it, thought it was different. Sports not so vanilla. A lot of people hated it. You know, I think the ones who hated it are the ones that have 88 tattooed on their arms.”

Classic ‘Rowdy,’ both celebration and media-interaction-wise. But in the lead-up to all of that was a celebration so iconic, Busch set his rear on fire attempting burnouts. 

How Busch more than made up for the smashed guitar

The guitar is a special part of the Nashville race that winners look forward to. For every race, three guitars are custom-painted for the race winner, making it a work of art beyond being just an instrument. 

Sam Bass, who painted the guitar, was unhappy with how Kyle Busch treated his work of art, but Busch understood what he did and worked to make it right. 

Busch made up with Bass by ordering several custom jobs, including buying 2 replicas, one for himself and one for his crew chief. Beyond making it up to Bass, Busch also donated 162 guitars to schools in Nashville. 

The following year, Busch would go back-to-back, and this time, Sam Bass was with him during the celebrations, and the cameras caught Busch and Bass posing with the guitar in 2010. 

12 years after the 2009 guitar smash, Busch won in 2021. This time, he teased the fans, pretending to break the guitar, but he didn’t, with everyone seeing the funny side of the incident.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason