One of the winners in Maine’s 2026 Moose Permit Lottery appears to be late NASCAR champion Kyle Busch. The winners were drawn Saturday in Acton.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife announced lottery winners Saturday, including a Kyle Busch of Denver, North Carolina, who was selected for a permit to hunt bull moose in northern Maine this October. The racing star, who died May 21 at age 41 after a hospitalization in Charlotte, owned a lakefront home in Denver.
Under Maine law, if a permit holder dies before or during the hunting season without harvesting a moose, the permit may be transferred to an eligible family member.
Moose permits are highly sought after, especially among nonresidents. Last year, only 393 of more than 28,000 nonresident applicants received permits. Winners have until July 16 to purchase their permits.
Busch was one of NASCAR’s most successful drivers, winning two Cup Series championships and more races across NASCAR’s three national series than any other driver. He was also well known to Maine racing fans, having competed multiple times at Oxford Plains Speedway, including the Celebration of America 300 in 2025. Busch also won the prestigious Oxford 250 in 2011.
In this WMTW video, Maine fans remember the legendary race car driver.
Latest Local Central & Eastern Maine News
