Inside a Georgia classroom, fifth graders saw a different side of Kyle Busch

In February, she welcomed a guest to help teach those ideas: Kyle Busch, one of the greatest — and most polarizing — drivers in motorsports history.

“Kyle at the track has always been this hardball, sarcastic and competitive,” Smallwood said. “I feel like not a lot of people got to see that he had an extremely soft side.”

Busch, the two-time Cup Series champion who won a record 234 races across NASCAR’s three national series, died Thursday at 41 after what his family described as a severe illness.

Smallwood’s classes ended earlier this month. In memory books students took home for summer break, the first photo shows Busch smiling with the children.

“To me, Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Kyle Busch are the three best to have ever done it,” Smallwood said. “Since he passed, I’ve been reflecting on how great Kyle was and how special that moment was for our class.”

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

Smallwood, 24, has been a NASCAR fan most of her life. When she became a teacher three years ago, she used that passion to connect with students.

The classroom started with cardboard cutouts and memorabilia from Georgia racing legends Bill Elliott and his son Chase, who live about 30 minutes away in Dawsonville.

When Chase Elliott won races, Smallwood showed students videos breaking down the moves that led to victory.

As the classroom collection grew and students became more invested, Smallwood’s social media posts gained traction.

NASCAR teams began sending diecast cars, shirts and stickers. Smallwood eventually met Chase Elliott before a race at Talladega Superspeedway, and he later sent memorabilia back for the classroom.

Earlier this year, someone from Busch’s circle reached out with an unexpected message: Busch wanted to visit ahead of the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Smallwood kept it a surprise, but she reached out to parents to make sure nobody missed school that day. Twenty-six kids erupted when Busch walked into the room.

“They were cheering when I said it’s Kyle Busch, but when he walked in there was even more excitement,” Smallwood said.

Busch spoke to the class, posed for photos and signed autographs. He also played NASCAR trivia and checked out model cars students built during a virtual field trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“He really loves working to get the next generation into the sport,” Smallwood said.

Busch’s death shocked the sports world. He burst into NASCAR two decades ago as a brash, arrogant teenager, sparking run-ins with drivers and contentious exchanges with media members. But he won, seemingly all the time.

Credit: AP Photo/Chuck Burton

Credit: AP Photo/Chuck Burton

His accomplishments were often greeted with boos from the stands. In recent years, however, as wins became harder to come by, Busch became more of a fan favorite.

Last Friday, he won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover, Delaware.

After the victory, Busch performed his customary bows to the crowd and said during his post-race interview that wins still meant a great deal, “because you never know when the last one is.”

He is survived by his wife Samantha and their two children, Brexton, 11, and Lennix, 4. Busch was scheduled to race in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events. He won the race in 2018.

Smallwood plans to be at the race on Sunday. She became emotional when asked about watching those cars turn laps without Busch in the field.

“His impact on my kids was tremendous,” Smallwood said. “It’s just an unbelievable feeling, and I can’t believe it’s real.”