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Tag: Kyle Busch

  • NASCAR champ Kyle Busch, wife lose millions in insurance scheme, lawsuit alleges

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    NASCAR champion Kyle Busch and his wife Samantha are suing an insurance company and agent they allege misled the couple about a life insurance policy that cost them $8.58 million.

    The lawsuit accused Pacific Life Insurance Company and the agent of misleading the couple about Indexed Universal Life, which the company said would be self-sustaining and fully funded “after a limited number of annual premium payments.”

    “These policies were sold to us as part of a retirement plan — something safe and secure that would grow tax-free and protect our family long after racing,” Kyle Busch said in a press release Tuesday. “We trusted the people who sold them, and the name Pacific Life. But the reality is far different. What was pitched as retirement income turned out to be a financial trap.”

    The couple was told the policy would “generate substantial, tax-free income for retirement,” according to the lawsuit, filed in Lincoln County on Oct. 14 . “Those representations were negligent and false.”

    Pacific Life and the agent failed to tell the truth about the risks associated with the policy, the lawsuit alleged, including variable interest crediting, policy charges, underperformance, and potential policy lapse.

    The press release said the company and agent used “misleading illustrations, undisclosed costs, and false promises of guaranteed multipliers and controllable charge” to get payments out of the couple.

    The couple lost millions out-of-pocket after paying more than $10.4 million in premiums to the insurance company, the press release said.

    In a social media video, Busch and his wife said it was a “major scam” and were trying to raise awareness because others have been impacted by it as well.

    “We tried to do what was best for our family,” Samantha Busch said. “Little did we know that by investing money in this scam, it’s all gone.”

    Busch is a two-time Cup Series champion. Racing for Richard Childress Racing, he is currently the 22nd ranked driver in NASCAR.

    A spokesperson at Pacific Life provided the following statement Wednesday in response to the lawsuit:

    “To maintain the privacy and trust of our clients, Pacific Life does not comment on the specifics of individual matters. For nearly 160 years, we have committed ourselves to fairness, integrity, and acting in the best interests of our clients — and we continue to take this responsibility very seriously. Pacific Life offers several different life insurance products, each with unique characteristics that are important to understand before making a decision. We encourage individuals to visit our website or contact their financial advisor to learn more about our products.”

    This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 2:34 PM.

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    Jeff A. Chamer

    The Charlotte Observer

    Jeff A. Chamer is a breaking news reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He’s lived a few places, but mainly in Michigan where he grew up. Before joining the Observer, Jeff covered K-12 and higher education at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette in Massachusetts.

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    Jeff A. Chamer

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  • Kyle Busch gets 1st RCR victory in Fontana’s NASCAR farewell

    Kyle Busch gets 1st RCR victory in Fontana’s NASCAR farewell

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    FONTANA, Calif. (AP) — Kyle Busch still smiles at the memory of getting thrown out of California Speedway during his first competitive trip here in 2001. The 16-year-old upstart dominated a NASCAR Truck Series practice, only to be told he couldn’t run in a race sponsored by Marlboro because he was too young to smoke.

    “That was my ‘Welcome to NASCAR’ moment and my ‘Welcome to California Speedway’ moment,” Busch said.

    Anger, conflict and disrespect have always appeared to be Busch’s favorite fuels, and the record-setting veteran burned plenty of them Sunday while rewarding his new team — and sending this beloved track off in style.

    Busch stormed up from the back after an early speeding penalty to earn his first victory for Richard Childress Racing, winning on this two-mile Southern California track for the fifth and final time.

    Busch held off Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain in the NASCAR Cup Series’ final race on the gloriously weathered asphalt at Auto Club Speedway, which will soon be demolished to make room for a proposed half-mile track. Busch asked Fontana officials for a chunk of that asphalt as a souvenir after he burned it up one last time on his way to Victory Lane.

    “That’s what I enjoy the most about this racetrack,” Busch said. “It’s big. It gets spread out. But man, you can move around and you can spread out and you can make your own destiny by trying to find something that will work for your race car. It’s a sad day for me to see this racetrack in its last race being a two-mile configuration. Glad I was able to win the final run here.”

    Busch drove his Chevrolet to victory in only his second race with RCR, which scooped him up in December after his 15-year tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing ended. This win was Busch’s first since Bristol last season on a dirt track, and his first on pavement since Pocono in 2021.

    With his 61st career victory, Busch earned a win in his record 19th consecutive Cup season, breaking a tie with Richard Petty. Busch said he set his focus on Petty’s longevity record “a long, long time ago.”

    “I’m just so thankful for the opportunity to set that bar, and would love to continue to keep raising it,” Busch said.

    The victory also was the combined 95th win by Kyle and Kurt Busch, breaking the NASCAR record for brothers previously held by Bobby and Donnie Allison.

    Elliott finished 2.998 seconds behind Busch in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Daniel Suárez finished fourth, and Kevin Harvick was fifth in the Bakersfield native’s 750th Cup start.

    “Congratulations to Kyle,” Elliott said. “For him to leave and then to go get the job done like that is pretty cool. He’s always been really good to me, so happy for them.”

    After that teenage trouble, the Las Vegas native has enjoyed plenty of highlights down the I-15 at Fontana. Busch got his first Cup victory at this speedway back in 2005 in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and only Jimmie Johnson (6) earned more Cup victories here.

    Even the California fans appreciate a driver who typically gets boos after his triumphs: Fontana serenaded him with cheers as he claimed another surfboard trophy.

    “There’s nothing more rewarding than being able to go to Victory Lane,” Busch said. “I death-gripped that wheel throughout the second half of that race, but we got the victory.”

    Busch was sent to the back early in the race for speeding on pit road, and the penalty infuriated him. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, he roared through the field in response, passing Michael McDowell for the lead with 20 laps to go.

    “That’s why he’s won as many races as he has,” said Randall Burnett, Busch’s crew chief. “Because he always pushes it to the limit.”

    GOODBYE FONTANA

    The traditional five-wide salute before the race carried added poignancy because of the finality of this race: NASCAR is shutting down the track built by Roger Penske with vague plans to build a new track in its place, along with selling off much of the surrounding property.

    The decision brings an end to an entertaining era for stock car racing in Southern California’s rich car culture. The big track east of Los Angeles is a favorite of nearly every racer in multiple disciplines, with its coarse grip and wide-open spaces creating impressive racing for a quarter-century.

    NASCAR currently has nowhere to race in the area in 2024, and the new track might not even be ready by 2025 — if it happens at all.

    DRY SUNDAY

    A week of unusual rainstorms and occasional snow finally abated Saturday night, and NASCAR dried the asphalt impressively before the race. Although sand and debris bothered some drivers, the track even managed to avoid any major problems from collected rainwater weeping out of cracks in the track.

    BIG CRASH

    The race featured a major wreck out of a restart shortly before the midway point involving 10 cars, the most in any collision in a Cup race at Fontana. Four drivers — including pole-sitter Christopher Bell — couldn’t continue after the wreck that sent several cars skidding into across infield.

    FOR STARTERS

    Defending champion Kyle Larson was out of contention after developing engine trouble on the opening laps. Shortly after Brad Keselowski spun from contact with Corey LaJoie, Busch was sent to the back.

    ___

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Column: Bittersweet win for Logano as Gibbs family mourns

    Column: Bittersweet win for Logano as Gibbs family mourns

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    AVONDALE, Ariz. — Joey Logano began his career at Joe Gibbs Racing, which signed him to a driver development deal when he was 15, and then put “Sliced Bread” in a NASCAR national series race seven days after his 18th birthday.

    There was a plan to develop Logano, but it was scrapped when JGR fast-tracked him to Cup after just 19 Xfinity Series starts because Hall of Famer Tony Stewart left ahead of the 2009 season.

    Logano wasn’t ready for the big leagues, and JGR let him go after four rocky Cup seasons.

    He landed at Team Penske and on Sunday won his second Cup championship with his victory at Phoenix Raceway in the NASCAR season finale. He joins Kyle Busch, his former teammate at Gibbs, as the only active NASCAR drivers with multiple Cup titles.

    Logano earned both of his titles with Penske, and all of his success was achieved long after his Gibbs dismissal. That didn’t make Sunday any less conflicting for Logano, who learned shortly before the start of the race that Coy Gibbs, vice chairman at JGR, had died in his sleep hours after watching his 20-year-old son, Ty Gibbs, win the Xfinity Series championship.

    “It’s such an interesting spot as you sit there preparing to run a championship race and then you hear. I don’t have words to explain how that is,” Logano said. “I feel for Ty more than anything. When you take all the championship racing stuff out, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. It’s great that we’re up here and we won a championship, but something happens to your family, it doesn’t matter.”

    Logano said Gibbs’ passing made for a somber season finale for the entire industry, and he grappled with the grief his former team owner must be experiencing. Joe Gibbs, both an NFL and NASCAR Hall of Famer, has now lost both of his children; J.D. Gibbs died in 2019 from degenerative neurological disease, and both brothers died roughly a month before their 50th birthdays.

    “It’s a bittersweet type of thing because here we are winning a championship, and one of the people that’s a leader in our sport and someone I’ve known for a while is gone,” Logano said. “Our prayers and thoughts go to the Gibbs family and everyone over at JGR. They’ve had a rough run at it, I couldn’t imagine how Joe feels right now. But for Ty to lose his dad, that’s just hard.”

    Logano’s emotions were about more than just his past relationship with the Gibbs family and their race team. He had spent much of the week leading into the championship races defending Ty Gibbs, who was maligned for wrecking JGR teammate Brandon Jones from the lead on the final lap of a race Jones had to win to race for the Xfinity title.

    The incident caused a deep divide at JGR and Toyota, and both Joe Gibbs and Coy Gibbs seemed weary leading into Saturday’s finale of discussing how to handle their budding star who happens to be family. Joe Gibbs promised consequences for his grandson, who is expected to be named the replacement Cup driver for Busch now that Busch’s 15-year run at JGR has ended.

    Even after Ty Gibbs made it through the week with a humbling apology tour and then delivered in the finale by holding off rival Noah Gragson for the championship, his father was still navigating the storm his son had created a week earlier.

    “When you start this day, I’m kind of like, ‘I just want to get this day over with.’ That was my mindset, because I want to move on and get past it,” Coy Gibbs said after his son won the title Saturday night.

    “I’m definitely proud of him. I’ve always got his back as his father. Obviously it’s heartbreaking to go through tough stuff and watch, it’s actually more heartbreaking to watch him go through it. I don’t give a rip; I’m old and don’t care. But to see a kid hurting — and he knows he screwed up; and to go through all that, it’s tough. It’s tough as a parent for sure.”

    Hours later, Coy Gibbs passed away in his sleep.

    Logano could relate to Ty Gibbs’ uncomfortable position leading into the race because Logano himself made his share of silly mistakes as he struggled with the spotlight in his early NASCAR years.

    “We’ve all done stupid things when we were kids. Every one of us, right?” Logano said earlier in the week. “I can’t say I agree with much that he did or said, but I also have some sympathy in saying, ‘Man, I’ve been there, I get it.’ It’s the life that I chose. It’s the life that Ty is choosing.”

    But it also hit Logano because unlike 2018 when he won his first championship and had only an infant son, he’s now a father of three and at 32 years old was the veteran of the championship four. Logano brought 4-year-old son, Hudson, to Phoenix and has spent the last several weeks reading car magazines to his son as bedtime stories and promising a big fun party when Daddy won the Cup title.

    Logano got to take Hudson up the track to collect the checkered flag and the little boy was skipping as he clung to his father’s hand. Then Hudson got a ride in the No. 22 Ford to the championship stage.

    As Logano celebrated with his son, he was cognizant that the Gibbs family was not at the track and mourning the loss of a son, husband and father.

    “That just goes to prove that you’ve got to cherish every moment in life. You don’t know when the next one happens. You don’t know when your number is called,” Logano said. “Hudson and I, like he’s my oldest and we have a connection.

    “He’s just a little me. I see so much of me in him. I always dreamed of winning with him here because I always wanted to take him for a ride. To see him smiling and celebrate the moment together, it’s truly the most awesome feeling.”

    ———

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • JGR co-owner Coy Gibbs, 49, dies hours after son wins title

    JGR co-owner Coy Gibbs, 49, dies hours after son wins title

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    AVONDALE, Ariz. — Coy Gibbs, the vice chairman of Joe Gibbs Racing for his NFL and NASCAR Hall of Fame father, died Sunday morning just hours after his son won the Xfinity Series championship. He was 49.

    “It is with great sorrow that Joe Gibbs Racing confirms that Coy Gibbs (co-owner) went to be with the Lord in his sleep last night. The family appreciates all the thoughts and prayers and asks for privacy at this time,” the team said in a statement released shortly before the start of the NASCAR season finale.

    Joe Gibbs has lost both of his sons. J.D. Gibbs died in 2019 of degenerative neurological disease, and was also 49 at the time of his death. Coy Gibbs succeeded his older brother as vice chairman of the family-run NASCAR organization.

    “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Coy Gibbs. On behalf of the France Family and all of NASCAR, I extend my deepest condolences to Joe, Pat, Heather, the Gibbs family and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing on the loss of Coy, a true friend and racer,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France.

    NASCAR held a moment of silence for Coy Gibbs before the start of the Cup championship Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, where JGR’s Christopher Bell was racing for the title. Kyle Busch, in his final race after 15 years with the team, was crying on pit road before the start of the race.

    “Today we will do what we don’t want to do, but we will unite as a family and race for the name on our chest,” JGR driver Denny Hamlin tweeted.

    Ty Gibbs had been scheduled to drive the No. 23 for 23XI Racing but was replaced by Daniel Hemric for what 23XI called “a family emergency.” Jackson Gibbs, son of the late J.D. Gibbs, was on Bell’s pit crew Sunday and worked the race.

    Coy Gibbs had just closed a tumultuous week with his 20-year-old son, who won the Xfinity title on Saturday and is soon expected to be named Kyle Busch’s replacement at JGR.

    But Ty Gibbs has been criticized this year for aggressive driving and last week wrecked teammate Brandon Jones out of the lead at Martinsville Speedway on the final lap. Jones needed to win the race to make the Xfinity championship and JGR and Toyota would have had two cars in the finale had Gibbs just stayed in second.

    “Racing is a family and the relationships within the entire garage go so much deeper than on-track competition. Today, we lost a dear part of our family. The loss of Coy Gibbs is devastating to everyone at Toyota and TRD,” said David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development.

    On Saturday, shortly before Ty Gibbs won his title, Hamlin said it had been a difficult week at JGR. He had tweeted after Ty Gibbs crashed Jones “I miss J.D.” and explained he was referring to the atmosphere at JGR established by J.D. Gibbs, which he called a “tight family unit.”

    “We really have to treat (teammates) like they’re our brother and our family, and I think at times at JGR, we probably work with each other the least amount of any other team, and that’s just the facts,” he said. “I’m not saying it’s anyone’s fault currently, but J.D. was just different because he really wrapped his arms around everyone. I told Coy, ‘J.D. was my dad.’ He was really my dad as soon as I came into the series, so when you lose that, it changes the culture a little bit, and we just have to get it back.”

    Joe Gibbs and Coy Gibbs spent the days after Martinsville defending their young driver, who was resoundingly booed at both Martinsville and Phoenix after his back-to-back victories. Ty Gibbs made his own humbling apology tour before holding off Noah Gragson for the championship.

    “Prayers to the Gibbs family,” tweeted Gragson, who had open animosity toward Ty Gibbs most of the Xfinity season before congratulating him following Saturday’s title.

    Coy Gibbs played linebacker at Stanford from 1991-94 and served as an offensive quality control assistant during his father’s second stint as the Washington NFL coach. Gibbs had a short racing career, including two years in the then-NASCAR Busch Series and three in NASCAR’s Trucks Series before helping his father launch Joe Gibbs Racing Motocross in 2007.

    Coy Gibbs was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and lived in Cornelius, North Carolina, with his wife Heather and four children.

    ———

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Kyle Busch Kept Employees Positive While His Nascar Team Faced An Uncertain Future

    Kyle Busch Kept Employees Positive While His Nascar Team Faced An Uncertain Future

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    Kyle Busch Motorsports will live on. Friday at Phoenix Raceway Kyle Busch announced that the team will switch to Chevrolet next season and field two entries in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

    The news is somewhat significant as the future of his truck series team, founded in 2009, has been up in the air as Busch has had to navigate his own contract issues and secure a spot for himself in the NASCAR Cup series.

    The two-time Cup champion will be parting ways with his longtime team, Joe Gibbs Racing, at the end of this season and for much of this year Busch’s future was uncertain. In September however, Busch revealed a move to Richard Childress Racing starting in 2023 which left only the Kyle Busch Motorsports team with an uncertain fate.

    Busch said his goal all along with the team was to keep it running and keep his 55 employees. The process the eventually led to a two truck team was at times a gut-wrenching experience.

    “Trust me. If you can dream of an idea or a concept, we certainly have had that on the whiteboard, no question,” Busch said laughing. “You know, there was times where it looked like none it, it was as many as four, you know?”

    The entire process was a stressful one on top of trying to find a Cup ride next season. But Friday Busch was able to final introduce his new drivers for next season, Chase Purdy, and Jack Wood.

    “There were a couple, you know, sleepless nights where it just kind of was like, oh man, are we sure of just the decisions that were, that were being made,” Busch said. “But also, then just being able to have the stability of Kyle Bush Motorsports again and to be able to rely on these two drivers to work with for the future and to take us to that next level.”

    Not only is the stability important for the team, but the continued employment of his 55 person staff too. They are no just workers who perform a job for a paycheck.

    “There’s a dream and a passion that others share with me at Kyle Bush Motorsports as well, “Busch said. “And you know, one of those is going to be our inherited new fearless leader with Danny Stockman. You know what I mean? He asked me that exact same question probably four or five months ago. He was like, ‘Why are, why are you putting yourself through this? Why are you still doing this? Like, if you just told us all what we needed to do, we would go do it like go find other work’. And I was like, ‘Nope, that’s not who I am. That’s not what we’ve been and that’s not who we’re going to be.’”

    Busch said making the switch from Toyota to Chevrolet has been pretty seamless, adding that they already have new sponsors lined up, and none of the sponsors, new or old seem to mind the swap from Toyota to Chevy.

    MORE FROM FORBESNascar’s Kyle Busch Says His New Documentary Doesn’t Go Far EnoughBy Greg Engle

    “It’s all about the relationships,” Busch said. “Obviously there are certain sponsors that we’ve had that have had really, really good relationships with Toyota. But if we’re able to still facilitate those same B2B relationships with the new manufacturer… I don’t see any reason why they would turn that down.”

    Now that the deal is done, Busch revealed that there were several times along the way that the possibility of the team closing down for good was very real.

    “There was a lot of sleepless nights on this front as well too,” Busch said. “I met with everybody at KBM. We had a couple of group sessions, team meetings; talking to everybody and just letting them know kind of where we were at and what we were doing and, just stick with me believing me, I’m doing this, I’m telling you everything, every step of the way and kind of keeping them up to up to date on what was happening.”

    Busch said during the process he tried to keep everything positive, and in the end it all worked out.

    “Never had to have that doom and gloom meeting where it was like, ‘Hey, I don’t know if you guys want to look, you can look’ like it was always ‘I got it. We got it. We’re getting closer, so don’t worry. And you know, here we are.”

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  • Concussed NASCAR champion Kurt Busch to step away from sport

    Concussed NASCAR champion Kurt Busch to step away from sport

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    LAS VEGAS — NASCAR champion Kurt Busch will miss the rest of this season with a concussion and will not compete full-time in 2023.

    The 44-year-old made his announcement Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his home track and where he launched his career on the bullring as a child. He choked up when he said doctors told him “it is best for me to ‘shut it down.’”

    “I know I am not 100% in my ability to go out and race at the top level in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Busch said. “These are the best of the best drivers, and lately, I haven’t felt my best.”

    Busch said Tyler Reddick will replace him in the No. 45 Toyota at 23XI Racing next season. Reddick was signed to the team for the 2024 season, but is no longer needed to complete his contract at Richard Childress Racing because RCR signed Kyle Busch, Kurt’s younger brother and a two-time Cup champion, for next season.

    “If I’m cleared, maybe you’ll see me at a few select races” next season, Busch said.

    Busch was injured in a routine crash in July that exposed a design flaw in NASCAR’s new Next Gen car. He’s so far missed 13 consecutive races. Driver Alex Bowman, who was also injured this year, has missed two straight and said this week he’ll be out at least three more.

    Busch is the last active driver who competed in a Cup race against the late Dale Earnhardt, and the last driver who was part of the inaugural 10-driver Chase for the Cup in 2004, the year he upset the Hendrick Motorsports juggernaut and won his only title.

    Busch’s retirement leaves Kevin Harvick as the last active driver who raced when NASCAR’s top series was called the Winston Cup Series.

    23XI praised Busch’s contributions to the second-year team.

    “From the day Kurt Busch joined our team, we knew he was going to elevate our organization in many ways,” the team said. “From earning 23XI our first playoff berth with his commanding win at Kansas Speedway to numerous hours spent off the track helping to grow our program, Kurt has made us better.

    “This season took an unexpected turn with his injury. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Kurt has not stopped being a true professional and a trusted teammate. We fully support Kurt’s decision to focus on his health and are grateful for his guidance as our team builds a strong foundation for the future.”

    He’s in his second season with 23XI Racing and team co-owner Denny Hamlin said the organization and Toyota want Busch to remain part of the team. He’s under contract through next season to 23XI.

    “Kurt’s decision to step away from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition next year is certainly not something anyone expected when we started the season together and celebrated in victory lane at Kansas Speedway earlier this year,” said David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development

    “Unfortunate circumstances led Kurt to a difficult decision, but we know that he will continue to contribute to the entire program at Toyota, TRD and 23XI Racing. He brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and firsthand championship experience to his team and fellow Toyota competitors. We’re here to support Kurt in this next chapter of his career and look forward to continuing to work alongside him.”

    Busch made his Cup debut in 2000 with Roush Racing in a Ford, then ran the full season as a rookie in 2001. He was fired after five tumultuous seasons with Roush — a stint that included his 2004 title — and moved to Team Penske to drive a Dodge in 2006.

    His Penske relationship also ended poorly after the 2011 season and Busch moved to Phoenix Racing to drive a Chevrolet for James Finch for one season, then went to Furniture Row Racing in 2013 where he revitalized his career — and began to show maturity on and off the track with his notorious temper.

    Busch moved to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 and was suspended by NASCAR for the first three races of 2015 for domestic violence allegations made by an ex-girlfriend. He later landed with Chip Ganassi Racing and finally 23XI to drive a Toyota in 2021.

    He is one of the rare drivers to compete in all of NASCAR’s manufacturers. Busch and his brother join Bobby and Terry Labonte as the only siblings to win Cup titles.

    Busch won 34 races in 776 starts over 23 years, including the Daytona 500 in 2017 with SHR and sponsor Monster, which has remained with him to this day.

    “For more than two decades, we have been privileged to watch Kurt Busch compete. He has proven himself a champion on the racetrack, but perhaps just as importantly, he has grown to become a true ambassador for the sport,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said. “Kurt’s drive to improve the future of motorsports has set him apart. We are thrilled that he’ll remain in our sport as a leader and trusted resource. Kurt’s unparalleled passion for racing gives us hope that we will see him in a race car again.”

    ———

    More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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