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The greatest compliment we can give Kyle Busch, the best NASCAR driver of his generation who suddenly died on May 21? He was a wheel man.
Give Rowdy a machine with four tires, window net and steering wheel and he would race it. Chevrolet or Toyota. Dirt or asphalt. Superspeedway, intermediate track, short track or road course. Week nights or weekdays.
And love him (and there were many of you) or loathe him (and there were many of you), we wanted to know where his car was in the field and always hear his in-race radio communications and post-race analysis.
Sadly and shockingly, we won’t get to watch Busch race again. His passing represents one of the darkest off-track days in U.S. auto racing history.
Busch’s X account announced at 10:23 a.m. on May 21 he would not be racing this weekend because of a “severe illness resulting in hospitalization.” At 5:40 p.m., NASCAR announced Busch’s death.
NASCAR had lost a titan, a winner literally from the start of his career (2005 Rookie of the Year) to the very end (he won a Truck Series race on May 15 in Dover, Delaware). As he climbed out of the truck, Busch was asked why the wins remain so meaningful.
“You never know when the last one is,” Busch said.
Six days later, he was gone at age 41, leaving behind his wife, 11-year old son 4-year old daughter. What a gut punch for the sport on the eve of showcase events in NASCAR (Coca-Cola 600) and Indy Car (Indianapolis 500) on May 24.
We will never see Busch bowing to the crowd on the front-stretch, some booing as usual, while holding a checkered flag. The man didn’t just love playing the role of villain, he embraced it.
We will never hear Busch’s unfiltered takes on the state of the sport. Like so many veteran drivers, he had become a semi-sage/voice of reason.
And will never see how Busch would have shepherded his son’s racing career.
Busch’s 63 Cup Series wins are ninth most all-time and his 234 wins in NASCAR’s three national series (Cup, O’Reilly and Trucks) are the most ever.
Although he wasn’t an every-week contender on the Cup Series circuit, don’t diminish Busch’s impact on the sport. He was simply one of the greatest of all time.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs were selected as the only teams to have three-game road trips in 2026. The Jaguars play at the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and New York Giants in Weeks 9-11.
Mike North, the NFL’s Vice President, Broadcast Planning, said if a “magic wand,” could be waved over the Jaguars’ schedule, the Titans road game would be swapped with the home game against Tennessee in Week 12.
But …
“Our data doesn’t say a three-game road trip is a competitive inequity and for this three-game road trip, it’s manageable travel and the first game is on a Thursday so (the Jaguars) have a 10-day break,” North said.
In the 17-game season era (2021), a year-by-year look at how teams fared in three-game road trips (not including an international “home” game):
2021: Dallas 3-0, Cincinnati 2-1 and Indianapolis 1-2.
2022: Philadelphia 2-1, Green Bay 0-3 and Minnesota 0-3.
2023: Giants 1-2, Carolina 0-3 and Tennessee 0-3.
2024: Minnesota 3-0, Buffalo 1-2, Chicago 0-3 and Cleveland 0-3.
2025: Baltimore 3-0 and Tennessee 1-2.
That is four winning trips out of 15.
MORE FROM RYAN O'HALLORAN: An inside look at Jaguars rookie Nate Boerkircher's improbable NFL path
1. One roster spot available: The Jaguars entered Memorial Day Weekend with one open roster spot; they have 90 players, but are allowed to have 91 because offensive tackle Kilian Zierer (Germany) counts as an international player. The spot became open when receiver Alex Bullock was placed on the reserve/retired list after going through rookie camp. The hope here is the Jaguars are keeping a spot in case the veteran edge rusher market loosens up and the asking prices reach their comfort level.
2. OTAs set to begin: Five returning players I will be jotting notes about when the Jaguars hold their first organized team activity workout on May 28 are offensive tackle/guard Walker Little (does he line up at left tackle while Cole Van Lanen rehabilitates his knee injury?), safety Caleb Ransaw (I’ve never seen him practice), receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter (how active he be in 11-on-11 work?), receiver Brian Thomas, Jr. (can he find chemistry with quarterback Trevor Lawrence?) and linebacker Ventrell Miller (does he take the initial first-team snap alongside Foye Olukoun and Dennis Gardeck?).
1. Only Wemby red flag: The only thing giving me pause about San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is his future durability. Big guys get hurt. A lot. Wemby is listed at 7-foot-4 (seems underselling him, doesn’t it?), but as the miles get put on his feet and knees and he adds weight, the potential for injury will increase. Yao Ming played 486 games in eight years, Ralph Sampson 465 games in nine years and most famously, Bill Walton 468 games in 13 years. Granted, travel, nutrition and fitness are better these days, but something to monitor. The iron man is our local resident Artis Gilmore, who played 1,329 regular-season games in 17 seasons, including every game of his first eight ABA/NBA seasons.
2. More good news for Gators:Florida defensive ace/rebounding machine Rueben Chinyelu announced on May 21 he was removing his name from the NBA Draft and staying in Gainesville for his senior season. Not surprising, but still noteworthy since his return should propel the Gators to the preseason No. 1 ranking as they roll out a starting lineup of Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Boogie Fland and, if he gets his fifth-year eligibility waiver, Denzel Aberdeen. Leading the second unit is SEC Sixth Man of the Year Urban Klavzar.
3. Farewell to a colleague: The Washington, D.C., media market, which I was a part of from 2004-11, sustained a loss on May 21 with the passing of Howard Fendrich, who wrote for The Associated Press. He was only 55 and died of cancer. I will always remember the two of us standing outside the Olympic stadium in Beijing in 2008 before the 100-meter men’s final and talking about the chances for Usain Bolt to set the world record (he did). An acclaimed tennis writer, Fendrich appeared in hundreds of newspapers and websites as companies cut international travel. How respected was Fendrich? The lead quote in his obituary was from Roger Federer.
Contact O’Halloran at [email protected] or on X at @ryanohalloran. Listen to Ryan on 1010AM on Tuesdays (6:35 p.m. on “Into The Night"), Thursdays (1:15 on "XL Primetime") and Fridays (4-6 p.m. on "The Lead").
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: In Kyle Busch, NASCAR loses one of its all-time greats
Continue reading...
Give Rowdy a machine with four tires, window net and steering wheel and he would race it. Chevrolet or Toyota. Dirt or asphalt. Superspeedway, intermediate track, short track or road course. Week nights or weekdays.
And love him (and there were many of you) or loathe him (and there were many of you), we wanted to know where his car was in the field and always hear his in-race radio communications and post-race analysis.
Sadly and shockingly, we won’t get to watch Busch race again. His passing represents one of the darkest off-track days in U.S. auto racing history.
Busch’s X account announced at 10:23 a.m. on May 21 he would not be racing this weekend because of a “severe illness resulting in hospitalization.” At 5:40 p.m., NASCAR announced Busch’s death.
NASCAR had lost a titan, a winner literally from the start of his career (2005 Rookie of the Year) to the very end (he won a Truck Series race on May 15 in Dover, Delaware). As he climbed out of the truck, Busch was asked why the wins remain so meaningful.
“You never know when the last one is,” Busch said.
Six days later, he was gone at age 41, leaving behind his wife, 11-year old son 4-year old daughter. What a gut punch for the sport on the eve of showcase events in NASCAR (Coca-Cola 600) and Indy Car (Indianapolis 500) on May 24.
We will never see Busch bowing to the crowd on the front-stretch, some booing as usual, while holding a checkered flag. The man didn’t just love playing the role of villain, he embraced it.
We will never hear Busch’s unfiltered takes on the state of the sport. Like so many veteran drivers, he had become a semi-sage/voice of reason.
And will never see how Busch would have shepherded his son’s racing career.
Busch’s 63 Cup Series wins are ninth most all-time and his 234 wins in NASCAR’s three national series (Cup, O’Reilly and Trucks) are the most ever.
Although he wasn’t an every-week contender on the Cup Series circuit, don’t diminish Busch’s impact on the sport. He was simply one of the greatest of all time.
Three-game road trip? No biggie
The Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs were selected as the only teams to have three-game road trips in 2026. The Jaguars play at the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and New York Giants in Weeks 9-11.
Mike North, the NFL’s Vice President, Broadcast Planning, said if a “magic wand,” could be waved over the Jaguars’ schedule, the Titans road game would be swapped with the home game against Tennessee in Week 12.
But …
“Our data doesn’t say a three-game road trip is a competitive inequity and for this three-game road trip, it’s manageable travel and the first game is on a Thursday so (the Jaguars) have a 10-day break,” North said.
In the 17-game season era (2021), a year-by-year look at how teams fared in three-game road trips (not including an international “home” game):
2021: Dallas 3-0, Cincinnati 2-1 and Indianapolis 1-2.
2022: Philadelphia 2-1, Green Bay 0-3 and Minnesota 0-3.
2023: Giants 1-2, Carolina 0-3 and Tennessee 0-3.
2024: Minnesota 3-0, Buffalo 1-2, Chicago 0-3 and Cleveland 0-3.
2025: Baltimore 3-0 and Tennessee 1-2.
That is four winning trips out of 15.
MORE FROM RYAN O'HALLORAN: An inside look at Jaguars rookie Nate Boerkircher's improbable NFL path
About the Jaguars
1. One roster spot available: The Jaguars entered Memorial Day Weekend with one open roster spot; they have 90 players, but are allowed to have 91 because offensive tackle Kilian Zierer (Germany) counts as an international player. The spot became open when receiver Alex Bullock was placed on the reserve/retired list after going through rookie camp. The hope here is the Jaguars are keeping a spot in case the veteran edge rusher market loosens up and the asking prices reach their comfort level.
2. OTAs set to begin: Five returning players I will be jotting notes about when the Jaguars hold their first organized team activity workout on May 28 are offensive tackle/guard Walker Little (does he line up at left tackle while Cole Van Lanen rehabilitates his knee injury?), safety Caleb Ransaw (I’ve never seen him practice), receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter (how active he be in 11-on-11 work?), receiver Brian Thomas, Jr. (can he find chemistry with quarterback Trevor Lawrence?) and linebacker Ventrell Miller (does he take the initial first-team snap alongside Foye Olukoun and Dennis Gardeck?).
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Extra points
1. Only Wemby red flag: The only thing giving me pause about San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is his future durability. Big guys get hurt. A lot. Wemby is listed at 7-foot-4 (seems underselling him, doesn’t it?), but as the miles get put on his feet and knees and he adds weight, the potential for injury will increase. Yao Ming played 486 games in eight years, Ralph Sampson 465 games in nine years and most famously, Bill Walton 468 games in 13 years. Granted, travel, nutrition and fitness are better these days, but something to monitor. The iron man is our local resident Artis Gilmore, who played 1,329 regular-season games in 17 seasons, including every game of his first eight ABA/NBA seasons.
2. More good news for Gators:Florida defensive ace/rebounding machine Rueben Chinyelu announced on May 21 he was removing his name from the NBA Draft and staying in Gainesville for his senior season. Not surprising, but still noteworthy since his return should propel the Gators to the preseason No. 1 ranking as they roll out a starting lineup of Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Boogie Fland and, if he gets his fifth-year eligibility waiver, Denzel Aberdeen. Leading the second unit is SEC Sixth Man of the Year Urban Klavzar.
3. Farewell to a colleague: The Washington, D.C., media market, which I was a part of from 2004-11, sustained a loss on May 21 with the passing of Howard Fendrich, who wrote for The Associated Press. He was only 55 and died of cancer. I will always remember the two of us standing outside the Olympic stadium in Beijing in 2008 before the 100-meter men’s final and talking about the chances for Usain Bolt to set the world record (he did). An acclaimed tennis writer, Fendrich appeared in hundreds of newspapers and websites as companies cut international travel. How respected was Fendrich? The lead quote in his obituary was from Roger Federer.
Contact O’Halloran at [email protected] or on X at @ryanohalloran. Listen to Ryan on 1010AM on Tuesdays (6:35 p.m. on “Into The Night"), Thursdays (1:15 on "XL Primetime") and Fridays (4-6 p.m. on "The Lead").
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: In Kyle Busch, NASCAR loses one of its all-time greats
Continue reading...
