Brad Keselowski reflects on his rivalry with the late Kyle Busch in an interview with PEOPLE
NEED TO KNOW
-
He recalls their final encounter on a plane days before Busch died suddenly at age 41, noting Busch seemed unwell but he didn't think much of it
-
Keselowski also recalls having "visions" that the longtime NASCAR rivals might have reconciled someday
Brad Keselowski once had “visions” of him and rivalKyle Buschburying the hatchet in their old age. Now, he's remembering their final moments together.
Busch died at age 41 on Thursday, May 21,from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. Speaking with PEOPLE four days later, Keselowski, 42, recalled seeing the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion — his longtime rival — on a plane days before his sudden death.
“I was flying to Dover last week with Kyle,” he told PEOPLE on Monday, May 25, adding that “it was probably more by chance than anything else.”
Busch — who won his final race at the 2026 Ecosave 200 in the Delaware capital — was acting a bit differently than usual, Keselowski said of their final run-in outside of the racetrack.
“Kyle is normally a fairly gregarious person, very outgoing and he wasn't. He sat down one row behind me and next to me and fell asleep right away and I could tell he wasn't feeling well,” Keselowski said, adding that at the time, he “didn't really think that much of it, to be honest.”
“And that was pretty much the last time I saw him. We were in a race and you get in a race and you don't really see each other,” the Michigan native added. “So I saw him on the racetrack.”
Keselowski also shared that he is going to miss the “rivalry” he shared with Busch, and revealed that he often thought about putting it behind them someday.
“I guess I had visions before his death of... actually, I thought about this multiple times: What's it going to be like when we're both in the Hall of Fame and we're doing some kind of ceremony together, whatever that might be? Will the hatchet be buried? I think so,” he told PEOPLE. “And will we actually be able to share a laugh about it? I guess in my mind, I hope so and now obviously not.”
“The hard part is the closure was supposed to be when we were retired and when we were done racing together and I don't think that's just for me, by the way,” he later added. “I think that's for a lot of people. And to not get that is tough.”
Advertisement
But Keselowski clarified, “The loss of Kyle Busch is much greater than how it affects me, and so I don't wish to belittle that.”
Of their rivalry, Keselowski also told PEOPLE that it changed shape over time, but how he finished in a race next to Busch was always on top of his mind.
“For whatever reason, Kyle and I had built into a relationship where although there's 30-some other drivers on the racetrack, I valued meeting him more than anyone else,” he explained. “Fifth place day and race is generally a good day. It's not a great day, but it's a good day. With a fifth place day where Kyle Busch finished fourth didn't feel like a good day. And conversely, a 10th place day where I beat Kyle Busch felt like a better day.”
“That's what a rivalry is at its core and that's how I felt about it," added Keselowski.
Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field withPEOPLE's free sports newsletter— sign up now!
That being said, the NASCAR driver told PEOPLE, “time has a way of changing things. And I'll tell you as I reflect on it, what I'm going to miss the most about Kyle is the rivalry.”
“It's the middle of the season head-on one-on-ones that we had at different racetracks, and knowing he was the guy to beat and I was the guy to beat him," he continued. "And him knowing that, and kind of having that rivalry where we didn't talk to each other.”
“And when we were in settings together, we stood on opposite ends of the room,” Keselowski added. “In the moment, that didn't feel all that pleasant, but it sure beats the reality of today.”
Read the original article onPeople
