LINCOLN, Ala. -- Some NASCAR drivers promote the sport with appearances on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio or a syndicated morning show. Kyle Busch went in a completely different direction this season by joining forces with comedian Bert Kreischer.
The two-time Cup Series champion and his wife, Samantha, took part in Kreischer's cooking show, "Something's Burning." They sat in Kreischer's studio kitchen as the wildly popular comedian known as The Machine made his version of a popular dish while joking around with and interviewing them.
For this episode with the Busches, Kreischer broke out a race day special -- a Sweet Tea Fried Chicken Sandwich with pimento cheese and Alabama White Sauce. As it turns out, it was the first time the Busches had tried Alabama White Sauce.
"Bert was really cool," Busch told AltDriver at Talladega Superspeedway. "Really nice guy, down to earth, very fun. ...That was fun, just to do something different like that and meet different people.
"He's gotten to the point -- sorta like me -- where you're a little older in your realm, your 'give a S' factor has gone down a lot to where you get to say a bit more of what you want."
As most episodes in "Something's Burning" history have shown, the guests like to tease Kreischer about various things, including the number of times he washes his hands during an episode. An episode featuring Tom Segura and Bill Burr is a standout example.
Kreischer takes it all in stride while asking unique questions about their lives, careers, hobbies, and other topics.
This trend continued with Busch and Samantha. They joked around with Kreischer about numerous topics. They also covered some NASCAR history, getting fired by Joe Gibbs Racing, the amount of flour on Kreischer's shirt, and how Busch is a "lean, mean, fighting machine."
The Busches also showed off their road trip game, which is fitting as many dirty jokes into the conversation as possible.
Some of these jokes were right up Kreischer's alley. Others flew right past the comedian, whether due to Busch's dry wit or because of the number of things happening in the kitchen.
Watching some jokes go unnoticed was an interesting experience for Busch.
"Little bit," Busch said while laughing. "Maybe he feels that way sometimes when he's with his crowds of people that come to his shows."
This episode of "Something's Burning" is not the first time Kreischer has dipped his toes into the world of NASCAR. He and fellow comedian Tom Segura hosted a live episode of their "Two Bears, One Cave" podcast before the 2023 Daytona 500.
If Busch had his way, Kreischer would have actually headed to another NASCAR track to close out the month of April. He would have had an opportunity to see a track known for wild racing and an even wilder party.
"Talladega, I tried to get him to come here," Busch said about Kreischer. "Because I was like, 'Man, that fits right up your wheelhouse a little bit more.' Couldn't talk him into it. I think he had a show or something."
The Talladega appearance did not work out, but another crossover will take place ahead of one of NASCAR's biggest races.
Kreischer said during the episode of "Something's Burning" that he will do a takeover at Charlotte Motor Speedway with his cooking show. He will make some food ahead of the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend and then take in the full NASCAR experience.