NASCAR Cup Series leaders Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin are focused primarily on maximizing their performances in an effort to win the season championship. At the same time, they and other drivers competing Sunday in Las Vegas took time to reflect on the loss of Las Vegas native Kyle Busch, the two-time Cup Series champion who died May 21 from sepsis following severe bacterial pneumonia.
“This is a place I know the Busch brothers, especially, took a lot of pride in running and wanting to run well, as it’s their hometown,” Hamlin said. “I like all the tributes, because in our society we tend to move on to the next thing so easily and it’s easy to forget. When you have these tributes that keep going on throughout the year, it’s a really good reminder to put things in perspective and keep remembering someone who was so big and influential in our sport.”