NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch is a lifelong supporter of Kyle Busch’s 11-year-old son, Brexton.
“Tough end to the day for us but today was bigger than racing,” Zilisch, 19, shared via X on Sunday, May 24. “Brexton, you have a fan and supporter for life buddy. Sending love to the Busch family.”
The late Kyle was honored during Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, which took place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Brexton was present alongside his mom, Samantha Busch, and sister Lennix, 4, as NASCAR honored his late father with a moment of silence prior to the race.
“Samantha, I want you to know that this sport stands with you, and that you and your children are NASCAR family forever,” the announcer said during Sunday’s race. “Everyone gathered here, everyone behind you, everybody watching on TV, and all those people up in that grandstand are your family, and we’ve got you.”
Samantha, 39, got emotional and hugged Brexton throughout the speech.
“Kyle Busch is NASCAR,” the speech concluded. “He was one of a kind and there will never be another, and I’d ask everybody now to join us in a moment of silence for Kyle.”
The Busch family announced on Thursday, May 21, that Kyle had been hospitalized with a “severe illness” and wouldn’t be racing in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. Hours later, it was announced that Kyle had died. He was 41.
“Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch,” a statement released by the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR read, in part. “A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans. Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR’s highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series.”
On Saturday, May 23, his cause of death was revealed. A rep for Busch’s family confirmed to NBC News that he died from pneumonia that progressed “into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications.”
Richard Childress Racing (RCR) announced earlier this week that they planned to temporarily retire the No. 8 car, which Kyle was driving prior to his death.
“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 NASCAR industry,” RCR said in a statement on Friday, May 22. “No one can carry it forward to the level that he did. The No. 8 is reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing.”
