Drivers share touching stories after sudden death of Kyle Busch

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Reactions are pouring in from NASCAR and IndyCar drivers after two-time champion Kyle Busch died on Thursday. 

On Friday, drivers at the Coca-Cola 600 had stickers on their cars in memory of the racing legend. Busch had been set to take part in the race until his sudden illness. Austin Hill was announced as taking Busch’s place before word of the 41-year-old’s death.

At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Busch won the Brickyard 400 in 2015 and 2016, drivers preparing for the Indy 500 told touching stories about Busch.

Katherine Legge spoke about how Busch and his wife made a real impact when she joined the sport.

“I am devastated for Sam and the kids. He and Samantha were two of the nicest drivers to me, welcoming me to the series. A lot of the drivers don’t even say hi, but they took the time to get to know me and give me some help and advice, and I would class them as friends now,” Legge said.

She went on to talk about how emotional this loss has been.

“Honestly, racing has lost one of the greatest drivers — in my opinion — of all time,” Legge said. “If you look back at the history, he was a legend, and I think there’s a lot of shock regarding it because he was so young and so healthy, and so it’s almost unbelievable, like it just bangs home the fact that life is so unfair.”

“Kyle Busch was a fierce competitor. He was strong-willed, confident not only in his ability behind the wheel, but in his opinions. He held his own and didn’t mince words.

Early on, we didn’t always see eye to eye, but in 2008, he became my teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing… and he was a great teammate. He pushed me to be better, and we always had respect for one another. It was easy to see that Kyle was going to be a future champion.

What a loss for the NASCAR community and the motorsports community as a whole. Kyle was one of a kind. Whether it was to see him win or to see someone beat him, you watched. Even the haters will miss Kyle. They’ll learn in the coming weeks who he was as a person, a husband and a father.

My heart goes out to his wife, Samantha, his kids Brexton and Lennix, his parents Tom and Gaye, and to his brother Kurt.”

“I’ll start at the beginning. I grew up watching a larger-than-life figure drive race cars like he was born to do it. Dale was a superhero in my house and when he passed his legend only grew. The bar was set high from a young age,” Dillon said on Facebook. 

“I grew up around some great drivers that came through RCR, including Hall of Fame drivers. But during that time, there was one guy on another team, and we all knew that when he showed up, we were fighting for second place,” he continued. “It was clear every race who had the most talent and who hated to lose the most. For obvious reasons, my family was never the biggest fan of this guy. He was the enemy at the time, and he was hard to beat. I could never really show my fandom, but secretly I was a fan. “

“As we started off your first season with RCR, you took off like you always did. You drove right to the front. But this time, you were in our car. You became family. I watched you work, push, prod, and bring instant success to RCR,” he said. “Your mentality and mindset rubbed off on those around you, and the employees in the shop. They knew that you brought a standard of excellence. It wasn’t always roses. The wins got harder to come by, but the grind and mentality never changed. “

“I can’t thank you enough, KB.  You are the ultimate racer and my favorite teammate and driver of all time. I always felt like I had your back and you had mine,” he added. “My favorite conversations with you were our conversations about Brexton and his abilities on the race track. I know how happy and excited he made you. You raised one of the nicest, well-mannered kids, and that is a direct reflection of his parents.  Sam is one strong woman and the best MOMager in the business. I promise to always be there for Sam, Brex, and Lennix. They are RCR family for life.”

“I love you brother. Myself and all of the RCR employees will keep fighting and striving for more victories in your memory,” Dillon said. 

For Kyle Kirkwood, meeting Busch as a kid, inspired his racing career.

“My second race was Texas Motor Speedway. I think it was 2006 maybe, and that was where I got the signature from (Kyle Busch),” Kirkwood said. “That was the first professional racer that I think I met, from all forms of motorsports, and I remember I got that signature, and for many years and still to this day, I still have that hat. I still have it with my trophies at my house, but I remember that moment like kind of really turned me on to racing, and I thought it was one of those moments like I’m never gonna wash my hand again.”

Josef Newgarden said he didn’t know Busch very well, but admired his skill as a racer. His thoughts were with Busch’s family.

“Just a sad day for motorsport that lost one of the best, but my empathy, my feelings are towards his family for sure, and I, I hope that their community can rally around the kids. That’s what’s gonna matter at the end of the day,” Newgarden said.

The family of Greg Biffle, the former NASCAR driver killed in a Statesville, North Caroline, plane crash in December, along with his wife, son and daughter, released a statement on Facebook reflecting on their friendship with Busch and offering condolences to his family

“The passing of Kyle Busch is incredibly difficult to comprehend. First and foremost, we are praying for Sam, Brexton, Lennix, Gaye, Tom and Kurt. They stood with us through our own grieving just five months ago, holding our hand at the service and continuing to offer support and love. A loss like this is unimaginable for any family, and our hearts ache for them.

Kyle was larger than life—iconic, fiercely competitive and an amazing friend to Greg. They leaned on each other often, not only through racing, but through life and personal challenges as well. Greg and Kyle spent time together in Glamis during the offseasons, enjoying watching their boys together and always looking ahead to the future with excitement and pride.

It’s hard to imagine our racing community without Kyle. The impact of this loss will be felt far beyond the racetrack. We love the Busch family and will be here for them in any way they need.”

For more on the reactions from drivers after learning of Busch’s death, click here.