CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — Charlotte Motor Speedway will celebrate the life of former NASCAR driver Kyle Busch on Friday following the Trucks Series race.
Busch died in May from a hemorrhagic stroke and after complications ranging from bacterial pneumonia to sepsis followed by disseminated intravascular coagulation, according to the former NASCAR star’s death certificate.
Advertisement
CMS said the event will allow the NASCAR community to come together to celebrate Busch’s stories, memories, iconic moments and the lasting impact he made on the sport and on the 1 1/2 mile oval. Samantha Busch’s widow will be part of the program, along with team owner Joe Gibbs and Cup Series drivers Christopher Bell, Noah Gragson, Daniel Suarez, Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon.
The show, which is free to fans, will conclude with a performance by country musician Cole Swindell.
“I have so many great stories with Kyle,” said Suárez, who drives for Spire Motorsports. “He went from being an idol to a mentor to a teammate and became a friend.”
Busch was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the winning driver at Charlotte Motor Speedway during all three series. His 69 Truck Series victories remain the most in series history and drivers say his legacy extends far beyond the record book.
Advertisement
Suarez recalled that Busch helped him navigate his rookie season and always gave him advice over the phone.
When Suarez passed Busch to win his first NASCAR race at Michigan in 2016, Busch was one of the first to meet him in victory lane and offer a congratulatory cart.
“He said, ‘Hey, he’s not calling anymore,'” Suarez recalled. “And I thought it was very funny. I know he’s joking, but sometimes it’s true. So it was that something I always loved about Kyle was that he was funny. But he was very direct, and I really like it.”
Trucks Series driver Layne Riggs, who races for Front Row Motorsports, said Busch was in “pedestrian” racing.
Advertisement
“Everybody wants to be him,” Riggs said. “Everyone wants to have states, wins that he had, and we know that we will never have the opportunity to do this. But it will always be the goal. That is what we always shoot and strive for and he was always a mentor and a person that we all look up to. We all miss him dearly and we cannot see the tribute.”
___
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here