As part of Charlotte Motor Speedway's annual Summer Shootout, there was a special tribute to NASCAR legend Kyle Busch on Tuesday evening. The 41-year-old icon of the sport died suddenly on May 21st, just before the 67th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
There have been countless memorials to the two-time Cup Series champion, a driver who won 234 races across all three national NASCAR divisions -- more than any other driver in history. He remains one of the top ten winningest Cup drivers all-time, even after Denny Hamlin matched him last weekend, where he honored his former teammate with a special flag. Busch also has more wins than any NASCAR O'Reilly and Truck Series driver in history.
Kyle Busch competed in the Master's Division of the 2025 Summer Shootout, collecting seven wins, including the tenth and final race of the event.
But today, his 11-year-old son Brexton waved the green flag and checkered flag as part of a ceremonial lap with Busch's No. 51 Legends car leading the field. Kyle's father, Tom Busch, was driving the car. The entire field followed behind before peeling off, leaving Tom to complete the lap alone.
Brexton is also competing in the Summer Shootout this year, continuing his own development as a driver, less than a month after his father's passing. Kyle's brother and fellow Cup Series champion Kurt Busch has posted videos from the track, cheering Brexton on as he prepares for his own races.
Brexton went on to finish second on Tuesday, after getting bumped out of the lead on the final lap of his race.
The full Summer Shootout schedule can be found here, while some videos of the special moment can be seen below:
🥹 The #CookOutSSO honors Kyle Busch at @CLTMotorSpdwy, with his father Tom behind the wheel of the 51, and @brextonbusch in the flag stand pic.twitter.com/8uwfbiuUky
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) June 9, 2026
Tom Busch, father of Kyle Busch, leads the field for an honorary lap in the No. 51 as @brextonbusch waves the green and checkered flags. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/6bGWSFr4RM
— Charlotte Motor Speedway (@CLTMotorSpdwy) June 9, 2026
Samantha Busch comments on Brexton's return to racing
On Wednesday, Kyle's wife Samantha posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, talking about Brexton's return to racing. The full post and some photos from the day can be found below:
"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 here with us. These 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.
"In the hospital, I made Kyle a promise. 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.
"It wasn’t a dream Kyle chose for him. 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.
"And if one day his dreams take him somewhere else, that’s okay too. And if Lennix wants to get behind the wheel (we just bought her a kart for her 4th bday) it won’t be the same as having Kyle by her side but we will do our absolute best.
"The racetrack has been home for our family for nearly 20 years. It’s where some of our greatest memories were made, where our kids grew up, and where so much of our life together happened. Right now when so much of our world feels unfamiliar it’s also one of the few places that still feels like home.
"Every time we get to the track, we’re reminded that a piece of our team is missing. 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."
View this post on Instagram
6th & 2nd in my first races back. Felt really good to get racing again. Congrats to my buddy Thrasher on the win, he raced me clean and took the opportunity when I slipped up. Learn and move on to the next one, thank you to everyone for the support.💚 pic.twitter.com/Ygdlqodc0w
— Brexton Busch (@brextonbusch) June 10, 2026
— Brexton Busch (@brextonbusch) June 8, 2026
