Chicago Cubs: NASCAR driver Kurt Busch and his ties to Wrigleyville

NASCAR driver Kurt Busch has plenty of ties to the Cubs and Wrigleyville.

Bill Murray. Eddie Vedder. John Cusack. Stephen Colbert. Dwayne Wade.

The list of celebrities and athletes drawn to the North Side of Chicago and Wrigley Field is quite extensive. Longtime NASCAR driver Kurt Busch is another name that can be added to the ever-growing body of support for the Chicago Cubs.

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Busch has been a mainstay in the world of NASCAR since he was 21 years old, all the way back in 2000. He has driven for 21 years and, as of this year at the age of 41, competes in all races in 2020. While Busch is known on the track, hisCubs fandom is a little less recognized.

Like many around him, in the world of actors and singers and professional athletes, Busch has always kept a warmth in his heart explicitly designated for those ‘Lovable Losers.’ It is just the latest of how Wrigleyville emboldens passions for the game of baseball.

Chicago Cubs: A fandom forged

As a kid who grew up 1,700 miles away from Wrigley Field, Busch lived in Las Vegas, Nevada. Still, ties for Busch existed in Chicago’s suburbs and, as a kid of parents who worked, would spend his afternoons after school watching television.

When the team predominantly played day games, Busch would flip through and see how the Cubs were on television every day, which gave some credence in his mind of their talent level. It also helped him to develop a level of fandom for the Cubs, which still exists today.

Busch made it a point to attend his first Cubs game in his 20s, experiencing Wrigley’s majesty with friends in the cheap seats, taking in every moment of the beauty of the 106-year-old structure. Busch also made it a point to return to the hallowed ivy-covered walls.

In 2011, Busch led ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame.’ In 2015, Busch returned for the National League Championship Series versus the New York Mets. In 2016, the then 37-year-old was in attendance for Chicago’s first World Series win in Wrigley in 71 years. Busch described the feeling as ‘epic.’

Chicago Cubs: A place of relaxation

A lasting connection for Busch is, of course, his Wrigley Field seats, which sit outside of his home facing outward toward the lake where his house sits. They are a testament to his passion for the team but also carry more personal meaning in his life.

The seats are representative of his anniversary to his wife and the amount of time between championships for the Cubs. He and his wife Ashley were married on January 7, 2017, and so the seat numbers, a gift from longtime friend and fellow Cubs fan Steve Farmer, are 107 and 108.

He uses it as a place of meditation and relaxation. It is one of his happy places and an area of focus that he channels for his career—the perfect gift for the ideal fan. Busch currently has three top-five finishes thus far in 2020, through nine races. As long as he can continue to harness the energy of the Wrigley Field seats this year, the sky remains the limit for the 41-year-old NASCAR star.

NASCAR driver Kurt Busch has plenty of ties to the Cubs and Wrigleyville.

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Chicago Cubs: A fandom forged

Chicago Cubs: A place of relaxation

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