05/25/2026
These pictures are from the March 2011 race weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
When I was younger, working the Speedway was one of my favorite side gigs. I used to wake up around 4 a.m., get there early, set up my booth, and spend the whole day surrounded by the noise, the crowds, the cold mornings, the long hours, the vendors, the cars, and that race-day energy you really cannot explain unless you were there.
My favorite part was always going upstairs when everyone started their engines and took that first lap. I would go without headphones because I wanted to hear it. Not just hear it, feel it. That sound would shake through everything. The engines, the crowd, the track coming alive all at once. There is nothing like it.
I always had a booth, and honestly, I loved it. It was exhausting and chaotic, but it was also one of those jobs that gave me memories I still carry with me.
With Kyle Busch’s passing, I found myself looking back through these old pictures and realizing he raced that weekend. He was in the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, finished 3rd, and led 151 laps that day. So not only was he there, he was a huge part of that race.
I think I may have met him or at least crossed paths with him during that weekend. At the time, I was just young, working my booth, trying to stay warm, make my money, and enjoy being around the track. I do not think I fully understood then how special some of those moments would feel later.
Kyle Busch was one of those drivers who made NASCAR exciting. Whether people loved him or rooted against him, he brought intensity, talent, attitude, and personality to the sport. He was impossible to ignore, and that is part of what made him great.
Rest in peace, Kyle Busch. 🏁
Thank you for the memories, the racing, and for being part of a chapter in my life that I will always look back on with love.
