Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch were longtime rivals, but Earnhardt paid tribute to Busch as a friend after Busch’s death on Thursday.
Earnhardt admitted that he and Busch “had a really challenging existence for many years,” but eventually sorted out their differences at Busch’s instigation. He spoke of a relationship built on deep respect, and that Earnhardt had even planned to see him next week.
“Kyle was one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. No one can deny that. But he was also a father, a husband, brother, son, and a friend to many,” Earnhardt wrote on X. “My heart is broken for the Busch family. I will never be able to make sense of this loss but I am thankful that we had found a way to become friends.”
Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years. But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams. I was super eager for us to get on better…
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) May 21, 2026
Earnhardt and Busch had a tense relationship after Busch left Hendrick Motorsports in 2008 and Earnhardt took over his car. Busch infamously wrecked Earnhardt on lap 398 of 400 at Richmond that year, which helped establish Busch’s antagonistic reputation among fans.
Busch died suddenly on Thursday at age 41. He had complained about a sinus issue during his final race at Watkins Glen on May 10, but details about his cause of death remain unclear.
