Can’t imagine the pain they’re feeling today.
It’s been exactly one month today since we tragically lost Kyle Busch at the age of 41, after the NASCAR legend passed away on May 21 from a severe case of pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.
Tragically for his family, that means this is the first Father’s Day without their dad.
Kyle was the father to 11-year-old Brexton and 4-year-old Lennix, and on this Father’s Day his wife Samantha shared a heartbreaking post paying tribute to her husband:
“This still doesn’t feel real at all. I was up all night thinking about what today should have looked like for Kyle and the kids. The Father’s Day cards that were already made, sitting in a drawer with no one to give them to. Trying to figure out how to navigate a day that should be filled with so much joy for them.
He was the dad who never missed a chance to be silly, race the kids around the neighborhood, wrap them in his arms, or stay up a little longer for one more book, one more question, one more moment.
Nothing made him prouder than being Brexton and Lennix’s dad.
Watching these memories hurts more than I can explain, but they also remind me how lucky we were to have him.
Kyle, the kids and I miss you every second of every day. Our hearts ache for you, but it’s more than that. Your absence is something we physically feel. Our bodies hurt from missing you, from reaching for someone who isn’t there, from loving someone we can’t hold anymore.
I will keep telling your stories, sharing your laughs, and making sure Brexton and Lennix always know just how deeply they were loved by their dad.
Happy Father’s Day. We love you and miss you more than words can say.”
Man…that’s tough to read.
NASCAR has obviously worked to honor Kyle each week since his shocking death. But yesterday was a special moment as Richard Childress Racing, the team Busch drove for the NASCAR Cup Series, went to victory lane for the first time since his passing when Austin Hill won the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on the street course at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.
After the race, Hill credited Busch for the win, saying that he asked his late teammate for some help late in the race:
“I’m like, ‘Man, Kyle, if you’re watching this race, I could use some help here.’ And for whatever reason, something told me to just start adding front brake to it.
And that exact lap that I asked about it, I just started cranking front brake. … Normally road courses, it’s kind of unorthodox to put a ton of front brake into it … and those last four laps, the car just came to life.”
And after taking the checkered flag, Hill celebrated by burning it down next to the #8 tribute to Kyle that was painted on the track:
His team owner Richard Childress also choked up talking about what the win meant to him and his team:
It still just doesn’t feel real that Kyle’s gone, and there’s no doubt it’s incredible painful for Samantha, Brexton and Lennix on this first Father’s Day without him here. But hopefully they’re able to find some peace in knowing just how much love he had for them during his time here on earth.
