NASCAR joined together with star driver Kyle Busch’s family during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for a heartfelt memorial ceremony to Busch on Sunday, three days after he passed away.
This was the first time the Busch family had been seen in public since Busch passed away at 41 on Thursday.
The family, NASCAR officials, the drivers, and others gathered on pit road for an emotional pre-race memorial to the driver’s life, according to Fox News.
In attendance were Busch’s team owner, Richard Childress; brother Kurt Busch; Kyle’s wife, Samantha; and his son, Brexton, as NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell cued a bagpiper to play Amazing Grace. Those gathered also bowed their heads and observed a moment of silence.
“Every racetrack was Kyle Busch’s home. He competed like he had something to prove every single race, when in reality he had already proven everything,” O’Donnell said. “What I think we’ll miss the most isn’t the wins. It’s the guy who quietly wanted to help a teammate, give some advice, the husband, the father, the guy who quietly did things for others when no one was watching.”
The No. 8 driver’s cause of death was confirmed by the family on Saturday. It appears that he died of severe pneumonia that turned into sepsis, the family said in a statement.
“The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications,” the Busch family statement read. “The Family asks for continued understanding and privacy during this difficult time.”
Busch was rushed to the hospital Thursday afternoon, the day after being found temporarily unresponsive inside a racing simulator. On Thursday, though, he began coughing up blood and was feeling woozy, reports say. Later that day, he passed away in the hospital.
According to reports, Busch’s No. 8 car is being retired until his son, 11-year-old Brexton, decides to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Richard Childress Racing (RCR), the team that Busch drove for, announced on Friday that it would reserve the No. 8 for whenever the late superstar’s son is ready to get behind the wheel.
“Richard Childress Racing has elected to suspend use of the No. 8 and will run the No. 33 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and beyond,” RCR wrote on social media. “Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylized No. 8, and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for his fans and the NASCAR industry. No one can carry it forward to the level that he did. The No. 8 is reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing.”
Busch is survived by his wife, Samantha, his 11-year-old son, Brexton, and his 4-year-old daughter, Lennix.
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