Brexton Busch finds comfort as Hill fills Kyle’s seat

Austin Hill will replace Kyle Busch in the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte as the NASCAR community mourns Busch’s sudden death from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. During a pre-race moment of silence, Brexton Busch, 11, was comforted by Owen Larson, a

When the track lights came on at Charlotte Motor Speedway ahead of the Coca-Cola 600, it wasn’t just the race that mattered—Kyle Busch’s family was carrying the weight of a sudden loss into every minute.

Richard Childress Racing announced that Austin Hill will replace Kyle Busch in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Busch died suddenly this week at age 41.

Before the race began, a ceremony and moment of silence in memory of Kyle Busch was held on the track. Busch’s death was attributed to severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, with the timeline including his passing on Thursday.

The Busch family was all there for the moment: Tom and Gaye Busch; Kyle Busch’s older brother, NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch; his wife, Samantha; and their children—11-year-old son Brexton and 4-year-old daughter Lennix.

Brexton stood beside his grieving mother with his arm around her as the moment of silence began. Then, in the middle of that stillness, a familiar friendship broke through. Owen Larson—son of two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Larson—walked over and hugged Brexton. Like Brexton, Owen is also 11.

A day after that connection, the details of their closeness were already visible to others. Brexton recently changed his profile picture on Facebook to a photo of him and Owen hugging. It wasn’t the only sign of how personal this moment is for the kids—Brexton has been frequently by his dad’s side at races.

There was also a wider display of support from the sport itself. On Saturday, Richard Childress Racing announced it would retire Busch’s No. 8 for this weekend and beyond, keeping it “reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing.”

For Brexton, racing isn’t new—he has already found ways to win. He has more than 150 victories across Outlaw Karts, Micro Sprints, and Bandolero Bandits National Championship. His record includes going 23 for 33 with 28 podiums. He won the Golden Driller at the Tulsa Shootout in the JR Sprint division.

He also made his Legends car debut at Charlotte Moto Speedway’s Summer Shootout and won in his fifth start. This year, he stepped up to full-size stock cars, racing the JR Late Model division at Madera Speedway in California for Wilson Motorsports.

The emotional picture at Charlotte was clear even without words: the sport was preparing for a race-day replacement. but the family remained anchored to the memory of Kyle Busch. In that space between competition and mourning, one hug—between two 11-year-old boys—landed as something unmistakably human.

With Austin Hill set to take Busch’s place in the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR moves forward on the track while the Busch family adjusts to life off it, still surrounded by tributes, silence, and the promise of No. 8 waiting for Brexton whenever he is ready.

Kyle Busch Brexton Busch Austin Hill Coca-Cola 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway NASCAR Kurt Busch Samantha Busch Owen Larson Kyle Larson No. 8 retired severe pneumonia sepsis