Brexton Busch took laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway just hours after a private memorial for his father, Kyle Busch, who died at 41 following complications from severe pneumonia that progressed to sepsis.
By Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Brexton Busch was already back in the rhythm of racing.
The 11-year-old. the son of late NASCAR driver Kyle Busch. was in a racecar during a practice session for the CookOut Summer Shootout. a Legend Car Series that runs weekly at the track in Concord. North Carolina. He drove a neon green No. 18 legend car, according to photos posted by the Charlotte Motor Speedway official account.
The return to the track came just hours after a private memorial service was held for Kyle Busch in the Charlotte area.
The timing was notable to people watching the sport closely. Kyle Larson had alluded to the service being held after his dirt race win in Iowa on Monday night. and Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass confirmed a memorial was happening. Retired NASCAR driver Mark Martin wrote in a tweet Wednesday morning, “My eyes watered a lot yesterday.”.
Kyle Busch’s death certificate later revealed details of the chain of events in his illness that led to his sudden passing. Busch died at the age of 41 on May 21 after complications from severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis.
As drivers and teams continued to process the loss, the presence of Kyle Busch’s legacy was visible at Tuesday night’s practice. Many of the legend cars on hand had decals for Busch.
Brexton Busch has been racing since he was six. Last year. he won 48 competitions across multiple disciplines. including legends cars and bandeleros. as well as micros. bandits. late models and sprint cars. Legend cars are designed to replicate old-style cars from the 1930s on a five-eighths scale. powered by Yamaha motorcycle engines. with speeds topping out between 115 and 140 miles per hour.
The series Brexton is running now is also a proven feeder into NASCAR. Legend cars have produced drivers including Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kyle Busch himself started out in Las Vegas.
Kyle Busch. a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. also left behind an extraordinary record: NASCAR’s all-time leader in combined victories across its top three national touring series with 234. He won his final race just six days before his death. driving into victory lane in the Truck Series race at Dover.
Even with the grief still close, Brexton Busch’s next steps are already set. He will race in Round 1 of the CookOut Summer Shootout on Monday, June 8.
One part of Tuesday’s story is hard to miss: the memorial and the laps happened so close together that the sport’s mourning and its momentum overlapped—on the track, in the cars, and in the days immediately after Kyle Busch’s death.
Brexton Busch Kyle Busch memorial Charlotte Motor Speedway CookOut Summer Shootout Legend Car Series NASCAR severe pneumonia sepsis NASCAR Truck Series Dover Concord North Carolina
Wait so he just… went right back to driving? That’s wild.
Idk man, people grieve different. But hours after a memorial seems kinda brutal timing-wise. Also the article says pneumonia -> sepsis, so like… that’s serious serious.
I saw something about Kyle Larson and thought it was a whole conspiracy thing?? Like why is Larson even in the middle of it, unless he caused it. And then Mark Martin’s tweet “my eyes watered” makes it sound like everyone knew. Still, it’s a kid in a racecar… that feels wrong somehow.
Neon green No. 18 legend car though… props to Brexton for getting back in rhythm, I guess. But the timing “hours after” is gonna get people talking forever. My grandma would’ve been like shut it down, but racing folks act like the track is therapy. Also what are sepsis details on a death certificate doing in a NASCAR article, seems a little much.