Kurt Busch’s path to the NASCAR Hall of Fame began not on a dirt track but in a pharmacy classroom. After flunking out of school, the Las Vegas native traded textbooks for a steering wheel and embarked on a 23-year career that ended with 36 Cup Series wins, a championship, and a first-ballot induction.

Busch, 47, will be enshrined Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina, alongside Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick. The Durango High graduate won the 2004 Cup Series championship at age 26 and captured the 2017 Daytona 500. He posted at least one victory in 19 consecutive seasons.

“Think of this,” Busch said. “My first race was in 1994 in a Dwarf Car in Pahrump. And then I’m in the Cup Series by September 2000, qualifying 10th next to Dale Jarrett, Dale (Earnhardt) Sr., Jeff Gordon — all my idols.”

Discovered by car owner Jack Roush, Busch moved from the Truck Series to the Cup Series in less than a year. He credited Jeff Gordon for opening the door for West Coast drivers. “Jeff Gordon opened the door for West Coast racing to be recognized,” Busch said. “It was like an arms race for the team owners to find their next big weapon.”

Busch’s success helped turn Las Vegas into a NASCAR pipeline. His younger brother Kyle became a two-time Cup champion; Brendan Gaughan, Noah Gragson, and Riley Herbst also reached the Cup Series. Busch said he had no template for success. “There wasn’t a ladder that you see (with) a lot of the kids these days,” he said. “A lot of mine was just being in the right place at the right time and (having) the universe smile down on me.”

His career nearly ended in 2022 when he suffered a severe concussion during a qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway. At 44, he was the only active driver who had raced against Dale Earnhardt Sr. — who once flipped him off during the 2001 Daytona 500. Busch had numerous on-track altercations, including a feud with his brother that ended when their grandmother brokered a truce at Thanksgiving.

After his fiery reputation made him a pariah, Busch joined small-budget teams and rediscovered his passion. “The late Jim Hunter said it best to me once when I was in trouble,” Busch recalled. “He said, ‘Son, you can get into as much trouble as you want because you have that much talent to dig yourself out of these holes you put yourself in. But wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t dig these holes and you could just stay on top, riding with your talent?’”

Jamie Little, a Green Valley High graduate and NASCAR pit reporter, witnessed Busch’s transformation. “Kurt and I have had some run-ins,” she said. “Kurt was a hothead at times — like so many drivers.” But she now calls him a good friend. “Just natural ability, first and foremost,” she said. “And the fact that he came out of Las Vegas and made it on the national stage.”

Busch won his final race driving for 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan. After shaking hands, Jordan told Busch, “You race like I played basketball. You race from your heart.” Busch said he hopes to become a full-time Hall of Fame ambassador and is advising his nephew, Brexton, Kyle’s 10-year-old son who is already building a racing resume.