NASCAR mourns Kyle Busch after his death at 41. In a Wednesday Instagram post, Samantha Busch described how watching their 11-year-old son Brexton race at Charlotte Motor Speedway brings heartbreak—and a promise to keep honoring Kyle’s racing dreams.
For days, the Busch family had the kind of quiet that follows a shock. Then, on a racetrack in Concord, North Carolina, a boy in bright green rolled back into the circle of speed.
Samantha Busch wrote Wednesday on Instagram that watching her 11-year-old son. Brexton. behind the wheel in a Legends Car at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Summer Shootout brought heartbreak and something she struggles to describe as anything other than beauty. Brexton finished sixth on Monday night.
On Tuesday, the track felt even more like home. Tom—Kyle Busch’s 72-year-old father—took an honorary lap around Charlotte in his No. 51 Legends Car while Brexton waved the flag. Samantha said the neon green Brexton drove, in his No. 18, reminded her of Kyle.
“Watching Brexton back at the track is both heartbreaking and beautiful all at once because there are moments when I catch a glimpse of Kyle in him. the same determination. the same passion. the same spark. and for a second it feels like a piece of him is still right here with us. ” she wrote. “These moments are incredibly hard, but they also remind me that Kyle’s story isn’t over. It lives on through the dreams he inspired and the two children he loved more than anything.”.
She tied that feeling to a vow she made after Kyle was hospitalized before his death on May 21, when he was 41. Samantha said she promised him she would do everything she could to help their children pursue their dreams.
“For Brexton, that dream is racing,” Busch wrote. “It wasn’t a dream Kyle chose for him. It was something they shared. They spent countless hours talking about race cars. working together. dreaming together. and building a bond around something they both genuinely loved. Racing is what lights Brexton up and as long as it’s the dream in his heart. I’ll be right there beside him. cheering him on every step of the way.”.
The grief hasn’t stopped the sport from moving—only changed the way it moves. Ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series race in Michigan last weekend, Richard Childress reiterated that Kyle’s stylized No. 8 will remain retired until Brexton wants to use it, even if it’s for another team. Kyle raced for Childress’ team, RCR, for the past four seasons.
Samantha added that her and Kyle’s daughter, 4-year-old Lennix, had just received her first kart for her birthday. The post framed the track as more than a venue: “The racetrack has been home for our family for nearly 20 years. It’s where some of our greatest memories were made. where our kids grew up. and where so much of our life together happened.”.
She wrote that when much of life feels unfamiliar after Kyle’s death. the track is one of the few places that still feels like home. “Every time we get to the track, we’re reminded that a piece of our team is missing. The person who should be standing beside us isn’t there. That part is heartbreaking. But it’s also where we feel closest to him. surrounded by the memories. the people. and the dreams he helped build. So, we race on.”.
Kyle Busch died after complications from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. Across NASCAR’s top three touring series, he was the all-time winningest driver with 234 combined victories. His sudden death sent shockwaves through NASCAR, and drivers have continued to honor him.
Denny Hamlin rode around with a special stylized No. 18 flag at Michigan on Sunday during his victory lap after tying Busch—his former teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing—for ninth all-time in Cup Series wins.
Before the Coca-Cola 600. with Samantha. Brexton. Lennix. Kyle’s parents and brother Kurt standing beside him. NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell told the Busch family: “Everyone gathered here. everyone behind you. everyone watching on TV and all those people up in that grandstand are your family. And we’ve got you.”.
Back in Concord, the feeling in Samantha’s post was clear: the racing world is mourning Kyle Busch, but at the same time, it’s watching his dream keep turning—lap after lap—through the son who is still learning how to drive forward while the one he came from is gone.
Kyle Busch Samantha Busch Brexton Busch Lennix Busch NASCAR Charlotte Motor Speedway Legends Car No. 18 No. 8 retired Richard Childress RCR Denny Hamlin Michigan Coca-Cola 600 Steve O'Donnell
Damn, this is sad.
So she’s saying her son got Kyle’s “spark” or whatever? I mean I get it, but it’s still weird how quick people turn grief into content. Just let them mourn.
I thought Kyle died like in a wreck on the track, not hospitalized first? Idk the details but NASCAR always acts like this was “noble” or whatever. And the kid finishing sixth… that’s both good and painful at the same time. Hopefully they don’t pressure him too much.
The neon green car thing is crazy because I swear I’ve seen that same color scheme on random YouTube race vids and I always thought it looked like Kyle’s style? Like it’s not even the same person but it’s like the brand lives on. Also Legends car?? I didn’t even know those were a thing at Charlotte. I’m just like… heartbreak turns into motion, sure, but please let the family breathe.