The biggest day in racing has been overshadowed by the death of Kyle Busch, one of the sport’s most popular and successful drivers. Tributes to “Rowdy” began today at the Indianapolis 500 and will spread to North Carolina for tonight’s NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Busch was mentioned during the pre-Indy 500 prayer.
Romain Grosjean is also driving the No. 18, Busch’s most popular NASCAR number from his days in the M&M’s car, and it carries the font Busch used for 15 years with Joe Gibbs Racing. Indianapolis Motor Speedway lit the pylon with his image on lap 18.
Drivers have been sharing stories of Busch throughout the somber festivities at Indy and Charlotte, where the racer was scheduled to compete in the Truck Series race and in tonight’s Coca-Cola 600. The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion won the 2018 marathon race at Charlotte and went back-to-back at the Brickyard 400 in 2015 and 2016 at Indianapolis.
Busch died May 21 after being hospitalized the day before. Reports said the 41-year-old was found unresponsive in a driving simulator in Concord, North Carolina, site of Charlotte Motor Speedway, and a 911 caller said he was short of breath, overheated and coughing up blood. The Busch family announced May 23 that the cause of death was “severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications.”
NASCAR’s all-time leader with 234 wins across the Cup, O’Reilly and Truck series, Busch was beloved for his fiery energy and passion for racing of all kinds. He had been in talks with IndyCar officials about attempting “The Double,” racing in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, for years. His brother, NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch, did it in 2014, while Katherine Legge will attempt to be the sixth person and first woman to do so today.
Richard Childress Racing said it will pull Busch’s No. 8 out of competition and reserve it for Busch’s son, Brexton Busch, if and when he decides to make the jump to NASCAR. The 11-year-old has won more than 100 races since he started in 2020 at just 5 years old.
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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Kyle Busch’s spirit hangs over ‘biggest day in racing.’ See tributes
Reporting by Dan Rorabaugh and Chris Vinel, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
