Kyle Busch, NASCAR’s winningest driver, died Thursday. He was 41.
Given Busch’s prowess and excellence in the sport, a number of his friends and competitors — including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and many others — paid tribute to Busch on Thursday.
Those tributes — which were not limited to NASCAR — are set to carry into the weekend. Spire, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Richard Childress Racing are among the various entities that have already announced additional ways to honor Busch in the coming days and — in some cases — years to come.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway held a moment of silence for Busch ahead of Carb Day on Friday. On Sunday, the course will light the pylon on lap 18 in honor of Busch.
He’s a multi-time winner @IMS on Brickyard 400 weekend. He recently expressed strong interest in also running the #Indy500 and was working to do that in the future. Sunday we will light the pylon on Lap 18 of the 500 in memory of @KyleBusch! https://t.co/vXU7C30v8M
— J. Douglas Boles (@jdouglas4) May 22, 2026
At the Coca-Cola 600, Richard Childress Racing will suspend the use of the No. 8 on its car. It will instead run the No. 33 during the race.
Richard Childress Racing has elected to suspend use of the No. 8 and will run the No. 33 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and beyond. Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylized No. 8 and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for his fans and the…
— RCR (@RCRracing) May 22, 2026
RCR said it will continue to hold the No. 8 until Busch’s 11-year-old son Brexton is “ready to go NASCAR racing.”
Spire, which purchased Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) in 2023, has already added a KBM logo to some trucks ahead of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Friday.
The Spire 7-Truck is in the garage, still with Kyle Busch’s name on the door and window.
The team added a Kyle Busch Motorsports logo. pic.twitter.com/eVc9CUEOv2
— Alan Cavanna (@AlanCavanna) May 22, 2026
Prior to his death Thursday, Busch planned to take part in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday. But he pulled out of the race early Thursday due to a “severe illness.” Hours later, Busch’s family announced his death. While there are a few details available regarding Busch’s illness, no cause of death was revealed for the driver.
Given Busch’s stature in the sport, there will undoubtedly be more tributes coming for the legendary racer during one of the biggest weekends in racing.