By Jerry Jordan, Editor
Charlotte Motor Speedway will host a Celebration of Life honoring Kyle Busch on Friday night, giving the NASCAR community its first formal chance to gather and remember the two-time Cup Series champion together.
The ceremony is set for 8 p.m. ET at the start/finish line of the 1.5-mile track in Concord, North Carolina, following the conclusion of the Craftsman Truck Series Ecosave 200. FS1 will televise the service live.
Admission is free for fans. Those holding tickets for the Truck Series race are welcome to stay and move toward the start/finish line for the ceremony.
A night of stories, memories and music
Samantha Busch, Kyle’s widow, will be onstage to remember her husband. His brother Kurt Busch will also take part in the evening.
A handful of NASCAR drivers and personalities will share memories of Kyle and what his legacy means to them, including NASCAR on FOX play-by-play announcer Mike Joy, Joe Gibbs, Christopher Bell, Noah Gragson, Daniel Suárez, Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon.
Bell, Gragson and Suárez all drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports, the Truck Series team Kyle owned. Bell won the Truck Series championship for KBM in 2017. Gibbs employed Kyle in the No. 18 Toyota from 2008 through 2022, a run that produced two Cup Series championships and 56 of his 63 Cup victories.
The ceremony will feature 10 of his most iconic race cars on display along with video tributes and a drone show. Country music star Cole Swindell will perform after the ceremony concludes.
“I wanted to personally invite you to Kyle’s Celebration of Life on Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. ET, following the Truck race,” Samantha said in a statement. “I really want this to be a night where the entire NASCAR community can come together to celebrate Kyle, his life, and the legacy he leaves behind in the sport we built our lives around.”
Remembering Rowdy
Kyle died May 21 at 41 years old. He won 234 races across NASCAR’s three national series and captured two Cup Series championships, building a reputation as one of the most talented and fiercely competitive drivers the sport has ever seen.
The tributes began long before Friday’s ceremony. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend, Larson ran a throwback paint scheme honoring Kyle’s 2005–2007 stint at Hendrick Motorsports, complete with the “Tiny Kyle” nickname Kyle had given him above the door. Larson drove it to a runner-up finish.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway has already honored the Busch family in a permanent way, renaming roads at the track “Busch Brothers Drive” and “Rowdy Road” after Kyle and his brother Kurt. Friday’s Truck Series race goes green at 5 p.m. ET on FOX, with the Celebration of Life to follow at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.
