Such a special tribute from Kyle’s father and son.
Just two weeks ago, NASCAR legend Kyle Busch sadly passed away on May 21st, 2026 at the age of 41 due to pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. It was very sudden, and in the short time since his death, tons of tributes from fans and drivers have poured in.
He left behind his wife, Samantha, and two children, Brexton (11) and Lennix (4), as well as his parents and fellow race car driver in his brother, Kurt Busch. It’s just so incredibly sad, and my thoughts and prayers continue to go out to his family who have experienced such a devastating tragedy.
Brexton is already a very talented young driver, and he competes in dirt racing, Jr. Late Model and Legends Cars and he is very, very good, already seemingly on track to eventually end up in any of the NASCAR series if that’s what he chooses. His dad spent much of his own racing season following Brexton around during the week, and no doubt, Brexton looks up to his dad and wants to be just like him.
Brexton certainly seems to have come by his racing talent very honestly, and in a recent interview, Cup Series driver Kyle Larson said Brexton is “the best 11-year-old that there is,” and Larson’s own son, Owen, is the same age as Brexton and often competes against him
Kyle would often talk about wanting to keep racing until Brexton was 16, so they could compete against each other in the Truck Series since that it the age minimum, and then he would retire after that as Brexton worked his way to the Cup Series (you have to be 18). Richard Childress has already announced that no one will race at RCR with the #8 care until Brexton is old enough to use it, if he so chooses.
Brexton is already back to racing, returning to practice just hours after the private ceremony held for Kyle last week, and on Monday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he placed sixth in the first race he competed in since his father sadly passed, running in the the Young Lions division of the CookOut Summer Shootout.
And ahead of that competition last night, Kyle’s father, Tom, got behind the wheel, driving the #51 Legends Car that Kyle was supposed to drive in the Masters Division of the Summer Shootout. His lead the pack in a “missing man” formation during the pace laps, and after that, the other cars parked on pit road, allowing Tom to do an honorary lap alone for his son. And throughout all of that, Brexton was in the flagstand, waving the green flag, then a double-checkered as his grandpa drove the car.
It was very sweet, and Brexton had a smile on his face, looking very proud to honor his late father in that way alongside his grandpa, as he should be:
🥹 The #CookOutSSO honors Kyle Busch at @CLTMotorSpdwy, with his father Tom behind the wheel of the 51, and @brextonbusch in the flag stand pic.twitter.com/8uwfbiuUky
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) June 9, 2026
Kyle’s father, Tom Busch, was a mechanic in Las Vegas taught his children everything they knew about racing, and he was a short-track driver himself, competing locally in Las Vegas, and eventually, putting all of his effort into helping his sons become legendary Cup Series drivers, competing at the highest level of motorsports.
It’s still so surreal that Kyle is gone, but the outpouring of love and support from the race community and beyond has been very special and has surely meant a lot to the Busch family:
Tom Busch, father of Kyle Busch, leads the field for an honorary lap in the No. 51 as @brextonbusch waves the green and checkered flags. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/6bGWSFr4RM
— Charlotte Motor Speedway (@CLTMotorSpdwy) June 9, 2026
Both Kurt and Samantha have shared posts recently thanking fans for all of their love and support in the wake of this tragedy:
