On Friday, the entire NASCAR industry gathered (both in-person and around their televisions) to pay tribute to two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, with a Celebration of Life ceremony taking place on the frontstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Several of the most important people in Busch’s life and NASCAR career were on hand and took the time to speak about the memories they had of Kyle Busch, both as one of the best race car drivers NASCAR has ever seen, and as an all-around human.
Kurt Busch (Kyle’s brother), Joe Gibbs (his long-time team owner), Austin Dillon (his teammate at Richard Childress Racing), Christopher Bell, Daniel Suarez, and Noah Gragson (three drivers he mentored during his time owning Kyle Busch Motorsports), and Samantha Busch (Kyle’s wife), were amongst the people who spoke about the late NASCAR champion.
But the most special tribute came at the end of the hour-long celebration, when Brexton Busch, Kyle’s 11-year-old son who is working towards becoming a race car driver himself and spent lots of time at the racetrack (and away from the racetrack) with Kyle, performed a burnout on the front stretch of Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Brexton didn’t just perform a burnout, though.
With the help of Richard Childress Racing, Brexton Busch got behind the wheel of the No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro, one of the seventh-generation NASCAR Cup Series vehicles that Busch drove during his time at RCR, and did a burnout.
The crowd went wild as Busch burned it down, like his father did more than 250 times across NASCAR’s National Series at several different venues. Then, jumping out of the car and getting a checkered flag from his little sister Lennix, Brexton performed Busch’s iconic bow celebration, as the crowd lost their minds behind.
It’s a special moment for the Busch family, and for NASCAR, all of whom return to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend for the first time since that gloomy weekend in May, just days after losing Busch.
Photo Credit: David Jensen, Getty Images
