Kyle Busch‘s widow, Samantha Busch, and son Brexton, 11, honored the late NASCAR legend in a celebration of life ceremony.
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ESPN reported that the family paid tribute to Kyle in the event held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Friday, October 9.
According to the outlet, Samantha, 40, made an emotional 10-minute speech at the ceremony, which was attended by more than 10,000 race fans.
“I don’t want to feel like we are putting a period on [his life] today,” Samantha said. “This is not the end of Kyle’s story. His story continues every time we give a young racer a chance, share something he taught us or share with the next generation what made Rowdy unforgettable.”
She continued: “Years from now, I hope people remember Kyle as one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers. He worked his entire life for that. But I also hope they meet someone whose life is better because Kyle was here. That’s a legacy that no checkered flag can contain.”
Samantha also shared her gratitude to the racing community in her speech.
“I never fully understood what this sport meant until we lost him,” she said. “The races kept going, the cars kept circling the track, but our world had stopped. I didn’t know how we would find our way without him. But then, all of you showed us. You came to Brexton’s races. You honored Kyle at every racetrack across the country and shared what he meant to you.”
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To honor his late father, Kyle’s son Brexton performed a burnout in his dad’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Cup Series car and bowed in front of the crowd.
Kyle died on May 21 after being found “unresponsive” in a Chevrolet racing simulator. He was 41. According to a death certificate obtained by Us, Kyle had pneumonia for “days or weeks” before his death, which progressed into sepsis.
Samantha first crossed paths with Kyle at a racing event in 2007. The pair began dating shortly after and tied the knot in December 2010, going on to welcome Brexton on May 10, 2015, and Lennix via surrogate on May 18, 2022.
After Kyle’s death, Samantha broke her silence via Instagram on June 5, thanking well-wishers for their condolences and support amid the tragic news.
“As a family, we wanted to take a moment to say thank you,” Samantha wrote in the post. “The prayers, messages, flowers, meals, hugs, and countless acts of kindness have carried us through the most heartbreaking days of our lives. While our hearts are absolutely shattered, we have felt God’s presence and arms wrapped tightly around us through each and every one of you.”
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This story was originally published October 10, 2026 at 1:56 AM.