The atmosphere at Michigan International Speedway this weekend carries a somber tone that Richard Childress never anticipated.
Rather than making public a contract extension agreement with Kyle Busch, the veteran NASCAR team owner found himself addressing media members about the unexpected and tragic passing of the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, who died on May 21 due to sepsis that stemmed from bacterial pneumonia.
The 80-year-old Childress revealed that he had a conversation with Busch just two evenings prior to his passing, merely one day before the 41-year-old driver was rushed to the hospital after becoming unresponsive during testing sessions in Chevrolet’s racing simulator located in Concord, N.C.
When Busch died, he had not secured a Cup victory since his triumph at the Enjoy Illinois 300 in June 2023, however, a new crew chief assignment and his strongest performance of the season with an eighth-place result at Watkins Glen had sparked encouraging conversations between the two about Busch — who was racing under a contract year — continuing with the No. 8 Chevrolet for another season.
“He said, ‘You give me cars like you gave me the last three weeks, I will make The Chase this year,’” Childress shared with media representatives on Saturday in Brooklyn, Mich. “We were that confident.”
Moving forward, the racing organization announced they plan to reserve the No. 8 car number for Busch’s 11-year-old son Brexton, regardless of which team he eventually drives for.
“Talking to Kyle at different times, knowing his plans and what he had in the future for Brexton and his family,” explained Childress, who had recently enjoyed hunting excursions with both father and son and observed them compete together on a dirt track near the Charlotte region. “The many things that we all could have done together — that was probably the toughest part of this whole thing.”
Busch leaves behind his wife Samantha and 4-year-old daughter Lennix. He was the younger sibling of NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch, 47.
“I just feel so bad for the family and the employees and everybody,” Childress expressed. “But yeah, I mean, I haven’t slept very good lately.”
Throughout his career, Busch accumulated an unprecedented 234 victories spanning NASCAR’s premier three divisions: 63 in the Cup Series, 102 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and 69 in the Craftsman Truck Series. His final trucks victory came at Dover, Del., just six days before his death.
The driver from Las Vegas captured NASCAR Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019. While the Daytona 500 victory eluded him, he earned his first pole position for the race this year before placing 15th. Among his most notable victories were the 2008 Southern 500, the 2015 and 2016 Brickyard 400 and 2019 Coca-Cola 600.
Childress expressed his belief that Busch deserves immediate induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which recently announced its 2027 class including Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Larry Phillips, scheduled for official induction ceremonies in January.
“Kyle will go down in history as one of the greatest race drivers that’s ever been,” Childress stated. “His legacy is that he was a man that a lot of people thought he was tough to deal with, and that he wouldn’t last long. He is a man that loves his sport. He loved it so much he wanted to see his family carry on in it. To see the enjoyment in Kyle’s eyes watching his son race was just unbelievable.”
