NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Kyle Busch talks about real cost of going racing

Published May. 25, 2017 7:00 p.m. ET

Tom Jensen

For the most part, the subject of money isn’t discussed openly much in NASCAR anymore, so when a team owner throws out a real number, ears perk up.

Such was the case Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway when 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion driver Kyle Busch was asked about the economic health of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where Busch is the team owner for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Busch was blunt about the economics of owning a truck team when asked about Red Horse Racing closing its doors earlier this week.

“Our cost is 3.2. That's how much it takes to run a full operation of a truck team, and that number should be around 2,” said Busch. And by 3.2 he meant $3.2 million to field one competitive truck for one season.

Busch said he pays out of his own pocket to keep his Toyota Tundras on track.

“I know that I put money in myself,” said Busch. “You know, I wouldn't say that the model is working for us. I just think that we're content with the amount of money that we are spending. That makes it worth our while.”

According to Busch, discussions are ongoing to come up with cheaper engines and bodies for the truck teams. “We're only hitting it about a half a million (dollars) by doing that,” he said. “Your biggest expense is your people, and that's where it all comes from.”

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