Silence and sadness filled the garage area at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday morning as the late Kyle Busch’s race car was unloaded from storage and pushed onto the rainy track.
The familiar blue and white Chevrolet with Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen advertising was changed from No. 8 to No. 33 because Busch’s No. 8 is temporarily retired by Richard Childress Racing.
It will be unretired for Busch’s 11-year-old son Brexton when it is his time to race.
A black No. 8 decal has been added to the door.
Austin Hill is the substitute driver.
People in the crowd of drivers, teams, racing officials and media were seen wiping their eyes and hugging each other during the somber moment.
“Putting the new numbers on this car was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Dalton Good, a graphic installer at Richard Childress Racing, said, according to USA Today.
Busch, 41, died suddenly Thursday after he reportedly was found unresponsive while testing inside the Chevrolet racing simulator at the GM Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, N.C.
Busch’s family revealed Saturday that he died of severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, leading to rapid and overwhelming complications.
A 911 call revealed he was coughing up blood on the bathroom floor and experiencing shortness of breath and overheating before being taken to the hospital. He was believed at the time to be dealing with an exacerbated sinus issue.
Busch was the winningest driver in NASCAR history with 234 victories across all three national divisions. He is survived by his wife Samantha, Brexton and four-year-old daughter Lennix.
The status of qualifying races Saturday for Sunday’s 400-lap marathon is uncertain because of the gloomy weather befitting the mood around NASCAR at the moment.
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell called Busch “an American badass.”
“We certainly had our battles but I would give a lot of money to have a few more battles,” O’Donnell said.