It was “bigger than racing.”
Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 was littered with tributes to Kyle Busch following the iconic driver’s sudden death at 41 from pneumonia that had progressed into sepsis.
And while the race did not go to plan for driver Connor Zilisch, he nonetheless had a heartwarming message for Busch’s 11-year-old son, Brexton.
Brexton, his four-year-old sister, Lennix, and Busch’s widow, Samantha, attended the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Zilisch was unable to finish due to a crash.
“Tough end to the day for us, but today was bigger than racing,” Zilisch said on X after the race.
“Brexton, you have a fan and supporter for life buddy. Sending love to the Busch family.”
NASCAR held a moment of silence for Busch before the race, with Brexton, Lennix and Samantha embracing one another as bagpipes played.
Brexton was wearing a baseball hat with No. 8 on it, in honor of the number that his father wore throughout much of his career.
Each driver in the race also donned a No. 8 decal on their car, while winner Daniel Suarez also donned a No. 8 hat after winning the rain-shortened race.
“This one really means a lot. … It’s been a very tough week. Kyle, he was special, man,” Suarez told Amazon Prime.
“I was doing this for Kyle. For Kyle, for Samantha, for Brexton, for Lennix, and for all of his family.”
The Indianapolis 500 also held a tribute to Busch, as the scoring pylon was lit up with a picture of him during the 18th lap of the race.
The No. 18 car of Dale Coyne Racing’s Romain Grosjean was also redesigned for the race in honor of Busch.
In a statement, Busch’s family said his tragic death occurred after “rapid and overwhelming associated complications” stemming from his severe pneumonia that had progressed into sepsis.