Busch died on Friday (AEST) after being hospitalised with an undisclosed “severe” illness.
The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion was using the simulator at the GM Technical Centre in Charlotte on Thursday when he reportedly began coughing up blood.
He was set to race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Saturday with Spire Motorsports and the NASCAR Cup Series with Richard Childress Racing on Monday at Charlotte.
In the wake of his passing, Richard Childress Racing has announced #8 will be retired for the foreseeable future – and only when Busch’s son Brexton is ready to race in NASCAR.
In recent years, Brexton had been working his way up the racing ladder, recently graduating to Late Models.
“Richard Childress Racing has elected to suspend use of the No. 8 and will run the No. 33 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and beyond,” the team said in a statement.
“Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylised No. 8 and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for his fans and the NASCAR industry.
“No one can carry it forward to the level that he did. The No. 8 is reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing.”
Spire Motorsports has gone ahead with its plans to race at Charlotte Motor Speedway with Corey Day in the #7 Chevrolet Silverado that Busch would have driven.
In a lengthy statement, team co-owner Jeff Dickerson paid tribute to the NASCAR icon, labelling him “the best ever to do this.”
“It is difficult to put into words what Kyle has meant to me and my family over the last 21 years, and how much my life has been shaped by the moments, both good and bad, we shared,” said Dickerson.
“There is no doubt my life would look entirely different had we not begun this journey together. The reality is our industry is filled with people who could say the exact same thing.
“Before SMT, before SIM, before YouTube, before radio transmissions were transcribed, Kyle and I spent countless hours dissecting every race, everything his car was doing, everything his competitors’ cars were doing, what he would do differently, what he needed from me or the team to find even the smallest advantage for the next race.
“He wanted to know every detail and had this immense curiosity not just on the track, but in appearances, business deals, everything. And because of that, he made me and everyone around him better.
“His demand for perfection was never a burden. It was a standard worth striving for.
As anyone who truly knew him can attest, when Kyle said something kind to you, told you he appreciated you, or even gave you a simple “good job,” it meant something because praise wasn’t given freely.
“It meant a great deal to me personally when we closed the transaction to acquire KBM, because those conversations began the same way our relationship did when we were younger: trying to figure out how to make his trucks faster.
“His relentless pursuit of speed, feel, and perfection became a pivotal chapter not just for me, but for the many employees who came with that journey.
“The spirit Kyle embodied still lives in our building through the people who started at KBM and remain with Spire today. That same spirit has no doubt left its mark at Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Richard Childress Racing.”
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