NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said the sport decided against postponing the Coca-Cola 600 after Kyle Busch’s sudden death, saying Busch would have been “pretty pissed off” if racing stopped. At Charlotte Motor Speedway, the family-focused tributes unfolded alongs
Charlotte Motor Speedway didn’t feel like a place where a sport could pause. On Friday. after brief conversations inside NASCAR about whether to delay Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. Steve O’Donnell said the decision came quickly for one reason: Kyle Busch. NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said. would have wanted them to keep racing.
“ When you look at what minimal conversations did take place between RCR, ourselves, Kyle’s family, it was: Kyle Busch would probably be pretty pissed off if we didn’t race,” O’Donnell said Friday. “So, we’re going to honor his memory and make sure people know what he was all about.”
O’Donnell spoke publicly to reporters assembled inside the infield media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the first time since Busch died at 41 on Thursday, following his hospitalization for an unspecified severe illness.
The news hit the track fast, and the human questions followed just as quickly. O’Donnell described receiving a call about Busch’s status around 9 a.m. Thursday.
“A call you don’t expect, that things weren’t great. I spent the rest of the day and the afternoon with the people I thought I should be spending it with. just trying to be there for them. ” O’Donnell said. “You guys who know me know that transparency is something that we (at NASCAR) all believe in. So, in due time, I think everyone will be comfortable with where things stand.”.
O’Donnell said he would not provide more specifics about the circumstances leading to Busch’s death. citing the family’s request for privacy. Busch. he said. was tested in a Chevrolet racing simulator at a General Motors facility in Concord. North Carolina on Wednesday. before he began coughing up blood and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
“When you’ve got the family, and you’ve got people that need privacy, that’s what we’re going to do,” O’Donnell said. When reporters pressed for further information about Busch’s health or cause of death, he responded with a short window for answers.
“We’re 24 hours from getting a phone call. and I don’t think it’s — out of respect for the family. and they’ve asked for privacy. I’m not going to address any of that. ” O’Donnell said. “Let me just add on to that. however. you guys who know me know that transparency is something we all believe in. So in due time, I think everyone will be comfortable with where things stand.”.
Corey Day, the driver replacing Busch in the Craftsman Truck Series race, described the moment the No. 7 truck still hanging “in the race” felt like an omen. Day said during an interview on SiriusXM on Friday, May 22 that Busch’s name on the door made the night difficult.
“It’s just a terrible situation all in all,” Day said.
The Craftsman Truck Series announced it would hold a moment of silence for Busch prior to tonight’s race, and the scheduled start time for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 was moved up to 7 p.m. ET.
O’Donnell said the sport also spoke with RCR, Busch’s family, Cup drivers, owners, the racetrack, and broadcast partners to shape tributes—without turning it into a single ceremonial pause.
“First and foremost, our responsibility is to make sure that Kyle’s family is okay with what we may or may not want to do and then the folks at RCR. We have had some of those conversations early this morning,” O’Donnell said.
“Then as our industry does really well. we got on the phone with all of our Cup drivers. all of the owners. the racetrack. our broadcast partners. and threw out some ideas for them to react to. We got some great ideas from the drivers as well. Some will probably do some individual things, which is fantastic because they all look up to Kyle.”.
O’Donnell said the tributes would continue beyond the weekend.
“We have a number of items that are in the works that our fans will be able to look at, celebrate Kyle. It won’t just be this weekend. He’s going to be part of our sport forever. But I think this industry will do what’s needed to honor his legacy throughout the weekend.”
Family came through in the details. O’Donnell made a point to address Busch’s entire family: his parents; his brother Kurt, a NASCAR Hall of Famer; and especially his wife, Samantha Busch, and their children—son Brexton, 11, and daughter Lennix, 4.
“The sport and all of us grew up and watched Kyle be a racer. but we watched him become a husband and a father the same way we watched him become a champion. We all did that as a family. We were all part of that. Kyle’s parents, Kurt, Samantha’s parents, all thinking about you for sure,” O’Donnell said. “Samantha. Brexton. and Lennix are not just family of a NASCAR legend. they are part of the NASCAR family. and they always will be because that’s what family does.”.
On the track itself, NASCAR’s Memorial Day weekend schedule at Charlotte Motor Speedway moved forward with ritual. The track held a moment of silence Friday night ahead of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Drivers and fans in attendance removed their caps. recited prayers. and shed tears. the moment honoring Busch as a record holder for the most wins in Truck Series history with 69.
Fox Sports also marked Busch before it covered the race on FS1 Friday night. Lead announcer Mike Joy narrated a tribute video to Busch that aired when the broadcast opened.
There were other signs on the ground too. Busch’s name and the No. 8—his NASCAR Cup Series car with Richard Childress Racing—were added to the infield grass ahead of races this weekend at the oval, including Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600.
As crews prepared for competition to continue, the sport’s emotional center kept returning to what Busch meant on and off the track.
O’Donnell spent much of his presser describing Busch away from the cockpit. He said Busch called Daniel Suarez every week offering help when Suarez first arrived in NASCAR from Mexico. O’Donnell also pointed to the Bundle of Joy Foundation. which Busch started with his wife Samantha to help families struggling with infertility. and said Busch gave countless drivers opportunities through his Truck Series team.
“If you go up and down pit road on Sunday. you’re going to see a lot of people that came through (Kyle Busch Motorsports). What you’re also going to see is a lot of people behind the wheel on Sunday who came through that. He gave people a chance,” O’Donnell said. “What few people saw was what Kyle also did off the track, because he didn’t talk about it a lot.”.
O’Donnell also reflected on the competitor the public saw. He described Busch’s rowdy, fierce reputation, saying Busch “always good for a great quote,” and that his opinions aimed at improving the sport.
“Kyle Busch lived just about every chapter of what you can do in NASCAR. What most people saw was rowdy, fierce, competitive, always good for a great quote,” O’Donnell said. “At the end of the day, he would always have an opinion, but it came from a place of somehow trying to improve the sport.”
He added that Busch leaned into being a villain—embracing the black hat and the role fans could either love or hate.
“ Kyle was always good to egg on the fans, play that villain, and was a winner. His stats speak for themselves… He’s a no-doubt first-ballot Hall of Famer, for sure,” O’Donnell said. “He leaned into it, man. And for drivers who are coming up in this system, you got to connect with race fans. Kyle Busch did that, and that’s the essence of who we are.”.
Busch’s record stood out even as the conversation turned to grief. Last Friday, Busch won the 69th Truck Series race of his career at Dover. He has more wins in that series and the second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series than any other driver. His total of 234 wins across all three of NASCAR’s touring competitions is more than anyone else’s. including Richard Petty. Dale Earnhardt. and Cale Yarborough.
On Friday night at the Charlotte event. weather threatened to disrupt the racing schedule. adding a second kind of uncertainty on top of the sudden loss. The Craftsman Truck Series race set to run Friday night was postponed due to inclement weather. with competition scheduled to start Saturday morning at 8 a.m. ET, weather permitting.
Rain was forecast for most of Saturday during daylight hours, which could impact not only the Trucks race but also NASCAR Cup Series qualifying scheduled for 2:40 p.m. ET and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.
Joey Logano. a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. and former driver and longtime NASCAR TV analyst Michael Waltrip were in the Fox Sports booth Friday night to provide color commentary for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Truck Series race. The two battled with their emotions as they tried to comprehend the loss of someone they knew both on the track and off.
At the same time, NASCAR’s Memorial Day weekend rhythm continued: races in three days at its home track of Charlotte Motor Speedway, beginning with the Craftsman Truck Series on Friday, May 22.
The details of Busch’s final appearance also returned to the conversation. O’Donnell said Busch had moments off-camera that fans wouldn’t find on a stat sheet.
For Day and the rest of the Truck Series, the task became clear even before the green flag. Day said the seven-person team wanted to win for Busch.
“I know the seven guys want to win for Kyle just as much as I do, and just as much as all the fans in the stands would like to see that,” Day said. “I’m gonna go give my best today for that.”
Day noted that the No. 7 truck had won last week at Dover with Busch leading 147 of 200 laps. He said crew chief Brian Pattie gives him confidence, but that Friday night carried more weight than just the result.
“I know the seven guys want to win for Kyle just as much as I do,” Day said, framing the effort as a tribute as much as a competition.
For O’Donnell. the decision to keep racing carried a promise: Busch’s presence wouldn’t be reduced to a moment of silence. He said Busch’s legacy would persist through the sport. and that the family reunion “week to week” would never be the same without him—yet NASCAR would “do our damn best” to carry it forward.
Kyle Busch NASCAR Steve O’Donnell Charlotte Motor Speedway Coca-Cola 600 Craftsman Truck Series Fox Sports FS1 Joey Logano Michael Waltrip Corey Day Samantha Busch Bundle of Joy Foundation