At a rainy Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR decided that Richard Childress Racing should be the first to unload their Cup cars for the 67th running of the Coca-Cola 600. They will also be the first two through inspection in a change of procedure for the weekend.
Video from the track shows the emotional scenes as an unusually quiet garage watched on as the No. 33 of Austin Hill -- with a small black No. 8 decal on the door -- was pulled from the hauler and rolled through the garage. The No. 3 of Austin Dillon followed immediately after.
The garage was silent as Richard Childress Racing unloaded the No. 33 car.
— Motorsport (@Motorsport) May 23, 2026
The car was renumbered from No. 8 to honor Kyle Busch. 🎥: @dustinlong pic.twitter.com/iYuJp8GJBx
A silent garage pays its respects as the No. 33 @RCRracing Chevrolet unloads at @CLTMotorSpdwy. pic.twitter.com/iGIhz9LWmv
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 23, 2026
RCR already announced that they will suspend their use of the No. 8, changing the car number to No. 33 from the Coke 600-onward.
Kyle Busch, the winningest driver in NASCAR history with 234 wins across all three national divisions, died suddenly on Thursday at the age of 41.
The family has since confirmed the cause of death, citing 'severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.'
Everyone from drivers, teams, officials, and media showed up at 8am to stand in the rain and watch this somber moment as the cars unloaded, before they themselves got to work.
Several prominent members of the garage were there, including Bubba Wallace, who hugged several RCR team members. In the distance, the No. 8 is still featured at the very top of the scoring pylon.
