NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace appeared visibly heartbroken as he mourned the death of fellow star Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion who passed away at age 41. Footage emerged of Wallace kneeling beside Busch's No. 8 car, which was painted on the infield at turn one of the Charlotte Motor Speedway, site of this week's Coca-Cola 600 race. A crushed Wallace barely moved as he crouched alongside the tribute in an emotional moment.
Busch's Sudden Passing
Busch died of complications after suffering from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis on Thursday, shortly after being hospitalized. On Instagram, Wallace shared a series of pictures of himself and Busch with an emotional caption: 'My eyes hurt from all the crying, my heart hurts from the pain.' He added, 'Kyle was a monumental factor in who Bubba Wallace is today. I sit here and look at all things around me and all the things I've been able to accomplish... Kyle played a role in every aspect. That's what hurts the most. An icon and a legend that I looked up to…is no longer with us.'
Memorial at Charlotte Motor Speedway
A somber atmosphere descended on the NASCAR garage on Saturday as Busch's race car was unloaded onto the track two days after his death. The Coca-Cola 600 race is set to go ahead on Sunday as scheduled, NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell confirmed. As teams arrived at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday morning, Busch's blue and white Chevrolet, with its number changed from 8 to 33 in honor of the late legend, was rolled onto the track. Richard Childress Racing announced it would temporarily retire the No. 8 until Busch's 11-year-old son Brexton follows in his father's footsteps. Silence and sadness overtook the garage as the vehicle arrived, with drivers, teams, and officials overwhelmed with emotion, many wiping tears and embracing one another. Dalton Good, a graphic installer at Richard Childress Racing, said, 'Putting the new numbers on this car was the hardest thing I've ever done.'
Busch's Final Days
Busch reportedly became unresponsive while using a racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina on Wednesday and was seen coughing up blood, according to a 911 call. He was hospitalized on Thursday before NASCAR announced his passing. Busch, who competed in more than 760 races over a 24-year career, is survived by his wife Samantha and their two children, Brexton and Lennix, four. In his final weeks, Busch had struggled with illness. On May 10, during a race in upstate New York, he radioed for medical assistance, asking for a doctor to give him a shot. He had been dealing with a sinus cold exacerbated by G-forces and elevation changes. Despite his illness, he won his record fifth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series trophy that day. In a May 16 interview, Busch said, 'I had a pretty - you can kind of still hear it, I'm still not great. But the cough was pretty substantial.'
