‘A week of some closure’: Kyle Busch remembered at South Point 400 at LVMS

As the NASCAR Cup Series took the green flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, everything seemed like a typical race weekend at the 1½-mile D-shaped oval in Las Vegas.

Then on Lap 8 of the South Point 400, a moment of silence came across the TV broadcast and fans in the stands for Kyle Busch.

Sunday’s South Point 400 marked the first NASCAR event at Busch’s home track since his death at age 41 on May 21. The NASCAR Cup Series Chase race marked the end of a week of celebration and remembrance for the two-time Cup Series champion.

“It has been an emotional week, but a week of some closure,” said NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch, Kyle’s older brother, at a pre-race news conference Sunday. “It’s been emotional, but it’s been enjoyable.

“There’s a lot of different events that I’ve had to juggle and I feel like I was ready for it all. … This being for my brother, it really hits home. I’m just appreciative of everyone putting the effort forward and making every event very special and highlighting him in the right way.”

Kurt Busch drove the pace car before the start of the race, leading the field of 36 drivers to the green flag. Kyle Busch’s black No. 8, which he drove with at Richard Childress Racing, was painted on the infield grass. Over Turn 4 sits a banner that says “Forever Rowdy.”

‘It wasn’t his time’

Kyle Busch’s presence was felt throughout the racetrack.

Under the grandstands near the start-finish line were pillars with photos of Busch that fans could sign and write messages on. Kyle Busch’s 2019 No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and 2019 NASCAR Cup Series driver’s championship trophy were on display for fans to take pictures with.

A large banner saying “You will be missed” from South Point’s Michael and Brendan Gaughan was hung over elevator/stairwell No. 8 behind the main grandstands.

“It’s just tough. It’s something that I still feel like he should be here and it wasn’t his time,” Kurt Busch said. “Events like this do — and weeks like this and the NASCAR community — help with the closure side of it.”

Before the start of Sunday’s race, Kurt Busch was presented with new street signs for Busch Brothers Drive and Rowdy Road that will be the new street names on streets around the LVMS property. Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick presented Kurt Busch with a declaration that Oct. 4, 2026, will be Kyle Busch Day.

“It’s a nice, fitting tribute with my brother and myself with what this track and what this facility has meant to us,” said Kurt Busch, who was at The Bullring on Friday night for the inaugural Kyle Busch Classic and the dedication of the Kyle Busch Memorial Rock at the track Kurt and Kyle grew up racing at.

Kyle’s 11-year-old son Brexton Busch raced at the Kyle Busch Classic. Late Friday night, he finished 23rd in his CARS Tour Series West Legends car race after being spun early in the race and later having mechanical issues.

On the track Sunday, Kyle Larson had a Kyle Busch tribute paint scheme on his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a similar design and colors to the No. 5 Kellogg’s car Kyle Busch drove at Hendrick Motorsports in 2007.

“It’s baller. It’s perfect,” Kurt Busch said of the paint scheme. “Sometimes there’s tribute cars with different sponsors and it looks a little odd. Hendrick Motorsports, thank you. Kyle Larson, it’s spot on. … I definitely chased that Kellogg’s car around a lot in the beginning and he was on the fast track to success.”

Drivers remember Kyle Busch

Christopher Bell, the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, was a JGR teammate with Kyle Busch for two seasons in the Cup Series. Bell won the 2027 NASCAR Truck Series drivers’ championship driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Bell said Busch’s guidance as an owner was pivotal as Bell made the transition from dirt racing to asphalt stock car racing.

“There hasn’t been a single person that’s had a bigger impact on my career than Kyle Busch from the NASCAR side of things,” Bell told the Review-Journal last month. “It was just best-case scenario for me (to drive for him). He strived for perfection and greatness, and his entire team — that’s what they were.”

“(KBM was) full of great people and people who had the same desires and work ethic that he did. It allowed me to succeed. I’m forever grateful for my opportunity to drive for him and his part in my life.”

Denny Hamlin was Kyle Busch’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing for 15 seasons. Hamlin said it was important for teams to keep remembering Kyle Busch and paying tribute to him throughout the season.

At Charlotte Motor Speedway next Friday, the track will host a public celebration of life following the Truck Series race.

“(LVMS) was a place that the Busch brothers really took a lot of pride in wanting to run well here as their own hometown track,” Hamlin said at a Saturday news conference. “I like all the tributes and things like that because it’s so much in our society we move on to the next thing.

“It’s so easy to forget and when you have these tributes that keep going on, especially throughout the year, it’s a really good reminder. It puts things in perspective and helps us keep remembering someone that was so big and so influential in our sport. I say keep (the tributes) going as long as we can.”