CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Busch’s legacy shone brightly at Charlotte Motor Speedway once again Friday night in an emotional celebration to remember the life of a legend.
Moments after the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race concluded around the 1.5-mile oval, 10 of Busch’s most iconic NASCAR rides rolled onto the speedway’s front straightaway in front of a packed grandstand, with family, fans, former bosses and drivers gathered to reflect on Busch’s enormous impact on the NASCAR world — through his on-track success, yes, but more importantly and more poignantly, the one-of-a-kind passion he delivered to his loving family.
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On a night filled with “Rowdy” reflections from Busch’s contemporaries, the ultimate cap came courtesy of his 11-year-old son, Brexton, who fired up his father’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, waved to the crowd and performed a burnout beyond imagination. The smoke show near Charlotte’s pit entry ended the only way it could — Brexton climbed from the blue-and-white Chevy and stood on the roof in triumph through the smoke, with his 4-year-old sister Lennix delivering him the checkered flag, cueing Brexton to replicate Kyle’s signature post-win bow. Brexton leaped off the roof of the car after the bow and embraced his mom, Samantha, and Lennix in a beautiful finale to the evening.
After nearly five months of grieving for Kyle Busch’s fans, family and peers, Friday offered a chance to relish Kyle’s greatest victory of all: family.
“This is not the end of Kyle’s story,” Samantha Busch, Kyle’s widow, said. “The story continues every time we give a young racer a chance, share something he taught us or tell the next generation what made Rowdy unforgettable. Years from now, I hope people remember Kyle as one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers. He worked his entire life for that. But I also hope (Brexton and Lennix) meet someone whose life is better because Kyle was here. That’s a legacy that no checkered flag can contain.”
Some of NASCAR’s brightest stars stood on stage with FOX Sports’ Mike Joy to share their funniest, most touching stories from their experiences with Kyle Busch. That list included Kyle’s older brother, NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch; Busch’s former team owner Joe Gibbs; former Kyle Busch Motorsports racers Daniel Suárez, Noah Gragson and Christopher Bell; defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson; and RCR teammate Austin Dillon.
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Memories ranged from life growing up in Las Vegas as a phenom racer to telling Coach Gibbs — a two-sport Hall of Famer — “your cars suck,” to the many nights later in his life spent at Millbridge Speedway mentoring Brexton on the tiny dirt oval.
But the nucleus of the conversation remained the same through each memory, dedicating his life to being the best husband, father and racer all at once.
“As I sit here today, one of the biggest things I learned about Kyle is not just the Rowdy that he leaves behind, but it’s the love,” Dillon said. “It’s his love for his family. Every time you see Kyle, you see Samantha. Samantha was a big part of being the marketing, the family behind it. You never didn’t see Samantha beside Kyle, the support system that he had from her. And let me tell you guys, this sport is tough. It is tough. You’ve got to be gritty to go out 36 weekends out of the year, travel. It’s great. It’s a great life, but I’m telling you, it’s a grind. And she’s right there with him all that time, and that’s tough. And that’s what’s shaping Brexton and Lennix — the love that they all four shared together. …
“Trophies collect dust. Records are meant to be broken. But what you leave behind is your family and your love. And he’s got an amazing family to leave a legacy forever for him.”
If Larson wasn’t Busch’s biggest rival by the end of Rowdy’s career, he was certainly Busch’s benchmark. Larson kept winning long into Busch’s winless drought, giving Larson moments in Victory Lane with his oldest son Owen while Brexton openly asked his father when he would win again in the Cup Series. But rather than let that fuel any animosity, Busch grew an even deeper admiration for Larson — whom he deemed “Tiny Kyle” — and even sought out Larson for help in bettering Brexton as an up-and-coming dirt racer.
“It was kind of unique because I think for a lot of us, you see Kyle in the NASCAR setting, and this was when he was still (with) Joe Gibbs and was very intense and super competitive,” Larson said. “But I got to see him kind of away from that, like out of his element at a dirt track trying to coach Brexton. He was really young and trying to figure out the dirt racing himself as a parent and coach and all that. So yeah, I got to see like a different kind of light-hearted Kyle, I felt like — but also a great coach and intense with Brexton.
“And for me too, having kids a similar age as Brexton and me looking up to Kyle so much and how he was able to coach and lead, I tried to take as many notes as I could, watching from a distance. But yeah, just getting to spend time with him at race tracks that were more my element was kind of cool.”
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Winning was everything for Kyle Busch. Until it wasn’t. Then his family became everything. That rang true at home in Busch’s latest chapter, even amid a career-long winless streak.
“Kyle was happy — really happy,” Samantha Busch said. “I know that might surprise some people. The last few years weren’t easy on the race track. The wins weren’t coming like they used to, and for a man who’d spent his whole life chasing wins, that was hard. But at home, I was watching something different. Kyle was beginning to appreciate everything racing had already given him. He was grateful to have this career and for the chance to continue racing. And the sport he’d given his entire life to was even sweeter because now he got to share it with our kids.”
Those kids basked in his father’s glory and memory once again Friday night while beginning to write a new chapter following the celebration of Kyle Busch’s life. For the first time publicly, Brexton Busch climbed behind the wheel of a Cup Series race car and burnt the Goodyear tires off the car exactly like his father would have. There’s a chance it’s the first of many burnouts we’ll see from him in a Cup car. If he pursues a Cup career, it certainly won’t be the last.
But Friday gave everyone — his family, his friends, his fans — a public goodbye and thank you to one of the most important personalities NASCAR has ever had.
For someone who always played up to the crowd, the fans made their love for Kyle Busch known by Friday night’s end.