Kyle Busch’s son raced at Charlotte as a ‘promise’ to NASCAR legend, wife says
Brexton Busch, the 11-year-old son of NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch, did something for the first time since the sudden and tragic passing of his father.
He raced.
On Tuesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Brexton Busch not only was part of the pre-race festivities to help kick off the annual “Cook Out Summer Shootout” at the racetrack — he also competed in another feature race at the track the same night. He finished second in the Young Lions feature of the INEX Series.
Race result notwithstanding, Brexton’s presence at the track — just like it was on May 24, a few hours before the Coca-Cola 600 — was what was memorable about Tuesday night.
Samantha Busch, the mother of Brexton and wife to the deceased Kyle, said as much via a heartfelt message shared on Instagram on Wednesday.
“Watching Brexton back at the track is both heartbreaking and beautiful all at once because there are moments when I catch a glimpse of Kyle in him, the same determination, the same passion, the same spark, and for a second it feels like a piece of him is still right there with us,” Samantha wrote. “Those moments are incredibly hard, but they also remind me that Kyle’s story isn’t over. It lives on through the dreams he inspired and the two children he loved more than anything.”
She also shared Wednesday a promise that she is keeping — one she made in a Charlotte hospital room on May 21, the day Busch died after pneumonia progressed into sepsis and killed him at age 41.
“In the hospital, I made Kyle a promise,” she wrote Wednesday evening. “I promised him that I would do everything I could to help our children pursue their dreams no matter what. For Brexton, that dream is racing.”
Kyle Busch was heavily involved in Brexton’s driving endeavors and looked forward to his blossoming career. Kyle even raced in Summer Shootout races over the years at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord while Brexton raced in younger series — like in Legends Cars.
The rest of the industry knows how much Brexton’s racing career meant to Kyle. As a tribute, Richard Childress elected to temporarily suspend the use of the No. 8 car and instead have it “reserved and ready” for when Brexton begins his career in NASCAR.
So Brexton would race on. Eventually, one day. But that day came earlier this week — and was emotional, but special, Samantha Busch wrote.
“It wasn’t a dream Kyle chose for him,” Samantha said. “It was something they shared. They spent countless hours talking about race cars, working together, dreaming together, and building a bond around something they both genuinely loved. Racing is what lights Brexton up, and as long as it’s the dream in his heart, I’ll be right there beside him, cheering him on every step of the way.”
She continued: “And if one day his dreams take him somewhere else, that’s OK too. And if Lennix wants to get behind the wheel — we just bought her a kart for her fourth birthday — it won’t be the same as having Kyle by her side, but we will do our absolute best.”
Samantha Busch continued by saying that her family considers Charlotte Motor Speedway “home” — and that such a fact will not change.
“Every time we get to the track, we’re reminded that a piece of our team is missing,” she wrote. “The person who should be standing beside us isn’t there. That part is heartbreaking. But it’s also where we feel closest to him, surrounded by the memories, the people, and the dreams he helped build.
“So we race on.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 8:19 PM with the headline "Kyle Busch’s son raced at Charlotte as a ‘promise’ to NASCAR legend, wife says."
