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Kyle Busch death: Bubba Wallace honors No. 8 infield painting at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Screenshot 2023-07-18 at 4.54.37 PMby: Riley Gates05/23/26Riley_Gates

It’s been a heavy weekend on the hearts of the NASCAR community, following the surprising death of Kyle Busch. The iconic driver died on Thursday at just the age of 41.

Details have now come out on what led to Busch’s death, as the driver was suffering from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. However, despite having answers, that does not make it any easier to swallow. And we saw that on Saturday, among drivers everywhere in the NASCAR community. One of those was Bubba Wallace.

Charlotte Motor Speedway, the site of this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600, had Busch’s iconic No. 8 painted in the infield on Saturday. Wallace took some time on Saturday afternoon to visit the spot for Busch and pay his respects. You can see the video below.

On Friday, details began to emerge about Busch’s death and the events that led to it. That included a 911 call that got Busch transported to the hospital.

Busch 911 call released by TMZ

The caller on the other end of the 911 call told the operator that there was an individual dealing with “shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out and is producing a little bit of blood — coughing up some blood.”

At the time, Busch was hospitalized with what was just described as a “severe illness.” It was also announced that he would not be racing in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte this weekend.

Busch is survived by his wife, Samantha, and two children, Brexton and Lennix. After the news of the driver’s death, the family released a statement.

“Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch. A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation,” the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing, and NASCAR said in a joint statement. “He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled, and he cared deeply about the sport and fans. Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR’s highest level, and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series.”