CONCORD, NC — The garage area at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday morning felt less like the leadup to one of NASCAR’s major races and more like a funeral.
With cloudy skies above, crew members, drivers, fans and racing folks of all sorts gathered near the hauler of the No. 8 Cup Series car – the one that 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 meaningful gesture following 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.”
The crowd remained quiet as they stood and watched the car descend from the hauler.
#NASCAR Cup garage is silent as Richard Childress Racing unloads the renumbered No. 33 car at Charlotte Motor Speedway pic.twitter.com/yYsWxJJssT
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) May 23, 2026
It was renumbered following Busch’s death, as RCR announced Friday 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 this car was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Dalton Good, a graphic installer at Richard Childress Racing.
But Busch’s marks are still all over this racing team.
The hauler and the toolbox have yet to be redecaled, still showing the No. 8. The crew working on the car still wears hats with the No. 8 patch on it. The door of the now-No. 33 car sports a black decal with Busch’s No. 8 and his signature. The jacks that the car stood on in the garage still 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, to give the crew members some space and keep prying eyes at a distance.
Members of the team and other employees of RCR were gathered around the inspection bay and greeted by other members of this tight-knit racing community, sharing tight hugs, pats on backs and quiet conversations. One crew member took a moment to himself and walked just outside the garage. He removed his hat, crossed his hands, bowed his head and said a quiet prayer.
It felt appropriate.
Current drivers like Bubba Wallace and former drivers like Mark Martin approached the garage with hugs and handshakes, offering support and condolences. Wallace was one of the many drivers that got behind the wheel for Busch’s former Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports. Wallace ran 44 races for KBM across two seasons, winning five races early in his career when he was eager for an opportunity to prove himself.
“Kyle was a monumental factor in who Bubba Wallace is today,” the driver for 23XI Racing wrote on Instagram after Busch’s death. “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, is the same age as Busch. He was present in the garage area on Saturday morning due to other obligations, but held an impromptu interview session with the reporters in the media center to talk about Busch.
“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 grew up watching Busch. At 19-years-old, he’s the youngest driver in the Cup Series this season.
He’ll remember both his view of Busch as a fan – and how he embraced that villain persona – but also Busch as the fellow driver, friend and mentor. After falling short to win the championship in the Xfinity Series last season, Zilisch remembers getting 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.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyle Busch’s RCR car unloaded first at NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600
