Kyle Busch appears to be among winners of Maine Moose Lottery

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) announced the winners of this year’s Moose Permit Lottery on Saturday, and it appears that late NASCAR driver Kyle Busch was among the winners.According to the list of winners shared by the MDIFW, a Kyle Busch from Denver, North Carolina, won the right to purchase a permit to hunt antlered (bull) moose between Oct. 12-17 in Wildlife Management District No. 5. That district includes areas of Aroostook, Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.Busch, 41, owned a lakefront estate in Denver, North Carolina. He died on May 21 after being hospitalized in Charlotte. Busch’s family revealed that he died from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.Moose permit lottery applications were accepted online from April 1 until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 18, and applicants must be eligible for a Maine big game hunting license.In the Moose Permit Lottery, drawings for Maine residents and nonresidents are conducted separately. On a statewide basis, at least 90% of permits are issued to Maine residents while up to 8% are issued to nonresidents and up to 2% to hunting lodges. The odds vary each year depending on the number of applicants and permits issued. In 2025, only 393 of 28,151 nonresident applicants (1.4%) were issued a permit, according to the MDIFW.Under state law, if a moose permit holder dies at any time prior to or during the moose hunting season, and if a moose has not yet been harvested under that permit, the MDIFW commissioner shall transfer that permit to a family member who meets the eligibility and permit requirements and who is not otherwise prohibited from holding the permit.The MDIFW said the deadline for this year’s lottery winners to purchase a moose permit is 11:59 p.m. ET on July 16. A permit costs $52 for Maine residents and $585 for nonresidents.Hunters are limited to harvesting one moose per year, regardless of how many permits they may be listed on.Kyle Busch’s connection to MaineBusch was a two-time Cup Series champion who won more races than anyone across NASCAR’s three national series.He was also a familiar face to racing fans in Maine, as he competed several times at the Oxford Plains Speedway.Most recently, Busch raced in the Celebration of America 300 in July 2025, competing in that race for a second year in a row. He finished 25th in 2025.”It’s always fun. Just an opportunity to kind of come back and run some super late model cars, always enjoy these types of cars and with a stout field of competitors up here at Oxford Plains Speedway and the Northeast. It always makes out for a good, hard-fought race,” Busch told Maine’s Total Coverage in July 2025.Busch also took part in the first Memorial Day Clash 200 in May 2025, and he won Maine’s signature race, the Oxford 250, in 2011.

AUGUSTA, Maine —

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) announced the winners of this year’s Moose Permit Lottery on Saturday, and it appears that late NASCAR driver Kyle Busch was among the winners.

According to the list of winners shared by the MDIFW, a Kyle Busch from Denver, North Carolina, won the right to purchase a permit to hunt antlered (bull) moose between Oct. 12-17 in Wildlife Management District No. 5. That district includes areas of Aroostook, Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.

Busch, 41, owned a lakefront estate in Denver, North Carolina. He died on May 21 after being hospitalized in Charlotte. Busch’s family revealed that he died from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.

Moose permit lottery applications were accepted online from April 1 until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 18, and applicants must be eligible for a Maine big game hunting license.

In the Moose Permit Lottery, drawings for Maine residents and nonresidents are conducted separately. On a statewide basis, at least 90% of permits are issued to Maine residents while up to 8% are issued to nonresidents and up to 2% to hunting lodges. The odds vary each year depending on the number of applicants and permits issued. In 2025, only 393 of 28,151 nonresident applicants (1.4%) were issued a permit, according to the MDIFW.

Under state law, if a moose permit holder dies at any time prior to or during the moose hunting season, and if a moose has not yet been harvested under that permit, the MDIFW commissioner shall transfer that permit to a family member who meets the eligibility and permit requirements and who is not otherwise prohibited from holding the permit.

The MDIFW said the deadline for this year’s lottery winners to purchase a moose permit is 11:59 p.m. ET on July 16. A permit costs $52 for Maine residents and $585 for nonresidents.

Hunters are limited to harvesting one moose per year, regardless of how many permits they may be listed on.

Kyle Busch’s connection to Maine

Busch was a two-time Cup Series champion who won more races than anyone across NASCAR’s three national series.

He was also a familiar face to racing fans in Maine, as he competed several times at the Oxford Plains Speedway.

Most recently, Busch raced in the Celebration of America 300 in July 2025, competing in that race for a second year in a row. He finished 25th in 2025.

“It’s always fun. Just an opportunity to kind of come back and run some super late model cars, always enjoy these types of cars and with a stout field of competitors up here at Oxford Plains Speedway and the Northeast. It always makes out for a good, hard-fought race,” Busch told Maine’s Total Coverage in July 2025.

Busch also took part in the first Memorial Day Clash 200 in May 2025, and he won Maine’s signature race, the Oxford 250, in 2011.