Kyle Busch’s car unloaded two days after death

Two days after Kyle Busch’s death, Richard Childress Racing unloaded his car in North Carolina while onlookers watched in silence. The team repainted it with the number 33 after Busch’s #8 was retired for the foreseeable future, and Austin Hill is set to drive

Kyle Busch’s team went to the racetrack in North Carolina on Saturday to do something that looked routine—until it wasn’t.

Richard Childress Racing unloaded Busch’s car from the truck with numerous reporters and onlookers gathered nearby. The silence around the moment was loud enough to be felt, broken only by the car’s wheels as the team eased it out.

The car has been repainted with the number 33. That change follows RCR’s announcement that it won’t be using Busch’s #8 for the foreseeable future. On the door, the car appears to carry a tribute to Busch, though it does not include a name.

Austin Hill—one of RCR’s other drivers—will pilot the car for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Behind the decision to keep moving was the reality of what happened to Busch. He passed away Thursday after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, according to his family.

A day before he died, Busch reportedly became unconscious after passing out in a racing simulator. The report also says a person who called 911 told dispatchers that someone was coughing up blood.

In Welcome, North Carolina, fans have left tributes to Busch at Richard Childress Racing headquarters. The state is also honoring Busch by lowering all flags to half-staff.

The sequence is stark: Busch is gone, the car still has to be handled, the team still has to race. Saturday’s unloading didn’t change the outcome—what it did was make the grief harder to ignore as the wheels turned.

Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Coca-Cola 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway Austin Hill pneumonia sepsis #8 #33 Welcome North Carolina flags half-staff