NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell talked at length about Kyle Busch's legacy, his rebellious nature and even his feuds with the organization Friday.
"This sport is a badass sport," O'Donnell said. "Kyle Busch is an American badass."
O'Donnell spoke to reporters at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the first time since the 41-year-old Busch died Thursday after being hospitalized because of a severe illness days before he was to compete in the Coca-Cola 600.
"We certainly had our battles," O'Donnell said, "but I would give a lot of money to have a few more battles."
O'Donnell joked about the time Busch pretended to be seriously hurt when NASCAR had ordered him to go to the infield care center after hitting the wall at Texas.
"He laid flat out on a pit cart, made fun of us," O'Donnell said. "I was mad at the time, but I look back and that was damn funny, and that was Kyle."
In the wake of Busch's death, O'Donnell said NASCAR might consider adding Busch to this year's list of Hall of Fame class of 2027 inductees: Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Larry Phillips.
Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told the Associated Press.
O'Donnell declined to answer questions about the cause of death or any health problems Busch might have had.
"We are 24 hours from getting a phone call, and out of respect for the family, and they have asked for privacy, I am not going to address anything," O'Donnell said. "But transparency is something that we all believe in. So in due time, I think that everyone will be comfortable with where things stand."
O'Donnell added that NASCAR never seriously considered canceling the Coca-Cola 600.
"Kyle Busch would probably be pretty pissed if we didn't race," O'Donnell said. "So we're going to honor his memory and make sure people know what he was all about."
