RCR unloads – With the garage at Charlotte Motor Speedway quiet under cloudy skies, Richard Childress Racing rolled its cars into the inspection area first as tributes continued after Kyle Busch’s death. NASCAR also suspended the No. 8 until Busch’s 11-year-old son, Brexton
CONCORD, N.C. — The garage area at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday morning didn’t feel like the leadup to one of NASCAR’s major races. Under cloudy skies, it felt like the opening moments of a funeral.
Crew members, drivers, fans, and racing personnel gathered near the hauler of the No. 8 Cup Series car — the one Kyle Busch last drove for Richard Childress Racing less than a week ago. NASCAR officials allowed RCR to unload its cars and roll them into the inspection garage first. a gesture that carried weight after the shocking death of the 41-year-old Busch on Thursday.
“It just doesn’t feel like a real race weekend. The entire vibe through the garage, it’s eerie, it’s gloomy,” Trackhouse Racing driver Connor Zilisch said. “But this place is home.”
As the crowd watched the car descend from the hauler, the quiet wasn’t staged. It came naturally, as if the entire week’s momentum had slowed with him.
RCR’s No. 8 didn’t stay on the schedule for long. After Busch’s death, the car was renumbered. On Friday, RCR announced it would suspend the use of the No. 8 until Busch’s son. 11-year-old Brexton. “is ready to go NASCAR racing.” On Sunday. May 24. in the Coca-Cola 600. Austin Hill will pilot the No. 33 Chevrolet with a sponsorship from Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen plastered on the hood.
Putting the new numbers on the car was a task wrapped in grief. Dalton Good, a graphic installer at Richard Childress Racing, said, “Putting the new numbers on this car was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Still, Busch’s presence remained in the details.
The hauler and the toolbox have yet to be redecaled, still showing the No. 8. The crew working on the car wears hats with the No. 8 patch on them. The door of the now-No. 33 car carries a black decal with Busch’s No. 8 and his signature. Even the jacks that the car stood on in the garage have No. 8 stickers on them.
Where Busch’s team is working on the No. 33 car in the garage is the only opening with a partition in front of it, giving the crew members some space and keeping prying eyes at a distance.
The inspection bay became a gathering point for a tight-knit community. Members of the team and other RCR employees stood together and greeted one another with tight hugs. pats on backs. and quiet conversations. One crew member stepped away for a moment. walked just outside the garage. removed his hat. crossed his hands. bowed his head. and said a quiet prayer.
It felt appropriate.
Current drivers and former ones found their way to the garage with support. Bubba Wallace approached with hugs and handshakes, and Mark Martin, a former driver, did the same. Wallace had been one of the many drivers who stepped in to put Busch’s former Truck Series team. Kyle Busch Motorsports. behind the wheel as part of its later run.
Wallace ran 44 races for KBM across two seasons. winning five races early in his career when he was eager to prove himself. After Busch’s death, Wallace wrote on Instagram: “Kyle was a monumental factor in who Bubba Wallace is today. I sit here and look at all things around me and all the things I’ve been able to accomplish… Kyle played a role in every aspect. That’s what hurts the most. An icon and a legend that I looked up to is no longer with us.”.
Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 71 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, was also in the garage area on Saturday morning due to other obligations. His time with reporters came in the form of an impromptu interview in the media center.
“It’s so unexpected that you don’t really know how to process it,” McDowell said of Busch’s death. “I have a lot of memories. and that’s why I’m smiling. because there’s stories that I can’t tell you that wouldn’t be appropriate for this time … Kyle was a fierce competitor, no filter, told you exactly how he felt. But off the racetrack he was incredibly generous – and still told you exactly how he felt – but was always there to help.”.
Zilisch, 19 years old, is the youngest driver in the Cup Series this season. He grew up watching Busch, and he’ll carry both sides of the memory — Busch the fan-friendly antagonist and Busch the fellow driver, friend, and mentor.
After the disappointment of falling short to win the championship in the Xfinity Series last season, Zilisch said he received a long text from Busch offering encouragement.
“He was unapologetically himself, and you know, some people didn’t like him, some people liked him, but everybody respected him. That’s the Kyle that we’ll remember,” Zilisch said. “I felt like he was a wizard at this stuff. Growing up watching him, you wanted to be like him, even if you didn’t like him. Some days I didn’t like watching him, because he was so (expletive) good.”.
What made the garage feel heavy wasn’t just the loss. It was how quickly race-week machinery was still expected to move — unloading, renumbering, inspecting — while the No. 8 remained visibly everywhere in the background, even after the official decision to pause it for Brexton.
By the time Sunday arrives, the story on the hood will change. The number, the sponsor placement, the car configuration — those details will all shift for the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24. But on Saturday morning. at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch’s mark was still there. on hats. on decals. and on the quiet moments people chose to hold close.
Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway Bubba Wallace Connor Zilisch Austin Hill Brexton Busch No. 8 No. 33 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen