The impact and memory of two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was present at Nashville Superspeedway this week. His Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet’s No. 8 sat atop the infield scoring pylon and is painted into the grass near the start-finish line for Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 (7 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Last week’s Coca-Cola 600 race winner Daniel Suarez spoke with the media Saturday about how much his victory meant in light of his close friend Busch’s sudden passing at the age of 41 only days earlier. It was a memorable win for multiple reasons and allowed Suarez the chance to honor his friend.
“To be able to win it in a week that, as we all know, was very, very difficult, honoring my dear friend Kyle (Busch), that he meant so much to me, it was super, super special,” said Suarez, who earned his first victory in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet after moving to the team this season.
His mood and tribute were reflective of the entire NASCAR garage across all three national series this week at Nashville.
In another example of paying tribute, two-time and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson spoke proudly and lovingly of the way his two children – daughter Audrey and son Owen – have responded to the loss of Busch. Owen, a friend of Busch’s son and fellow 11-year old, Brexton, walked over during the pre-race remembrance ceremony last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway and spontaneously offered Brexton a hug as he stood alongside his grieving mom, Busch’s wife Samantha.
Larson’s eight-year-old daughter Aubrey replicated Busch’s famous “victory bow” to the grandstands after winning a dirt track race in Nebraska on Wednesday.
“It’s great them being as young as they are they recognize everything that had happened the and the hurt the Busch family was going through but also what the community was doing to rally around that family,’’ Larson shared Saturday.
“That was all Audrey’s idea to do the bow. … It was just her and I and on the way to the track, she said, ‘hey dad, if I win, I think I should do the bow.’ And I thought that was awesome. So, when she won the next night, she did it and it was pretty awesome.
“And going back to Owen being there with his buddy Brexton on pit road was not something I was expecting him to do, so when he did that, it made me feel really good. And to see the emotion on his face, it made me proud.”
