“I shot the bull with him and talked about the sport”: When Kyle Busch recalled fishing with Bill France Jr. on Rick Hendrick’s boat

Back in 2014, during his tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing, Kyle Busch appeared in the 12 Questions segment with Jeff Gluck. Gluck, who works with The Athletic now, asked the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion what his coolest non-racing experience was.

Without thinking much, Busch spoke about a fishing session with his then-boss, Rick Hendrick, and the late Bill France Jr. Busch was with Hendrick on a fishing boat that the latter owned, while France was already fishing out there.

Recalling the day, Kyle Busch told Gluck:

“I was with Rick (Hendrick), and he's got a bunch of boats – a speedboat, a fishing boat, a yacht, all that. Well we went out on his fishing boat one day and Bill (France) Jr. was there.”

“That was a cool day,” Busch continued. “It was Rick, his two captains, Bill Jr. and like three other guys. We went fishing, I shot the bull with France and talked about the sport and what he remembered it as and where he wanted to see it go.”

Busch left Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the 2007 season and joined JGR for the following season. Busch captured 56 of his 63 Cup Series victories with Joe Gibbs Racing, as well as the NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2015 and 2019.

Busch currently drives the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 full-time for Richard Childress Racing. He just wrapped up his 2025 season, which, although winless, highlighted 10 top-10 finishes in 36 starts.

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Kyle Busch reveals off-season plans with his new crew chief

2025 didn’t go well for Kyle Busch. He was winless and finished a career-worst 21st on points. He could amass only three top-fives, his lowest in 21 full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series.

In an interview with NASCAR.com ahead of the Championship 4 at Phoenix, the Las Vegas native said that although he would not give grades, 2025 wasn’t a stellar season for the No. 8 RCR team.

“It hasn't been a good one. We all know that and got to get better,” he added.

Busch also mentioned that this off-season would be all about building his chemistry with his newly appointed crew chief, Jim Pohlman. Earlier, Pohlman served as the crew chief for Connor Zilisch in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, previously known as the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

“I think this offseason will be different just based off of trying to build some camaraderie and some time with Jim," said Kyle Busch. "Being able to spend some time with him and just kind of figure things out and what makes him tick, and obviously ways of things of what makes me tick and getting on the same page to start our season.”

Next up for Kyle Busch is the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Scheduled for February 1, the 200-lap event will mark the beginning of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Fans can watch it on FOX or listen to exclusive updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.