DARLINGTON, SC - MAY 14: Kyle Busch 8 Richard Childress Racing Lucas Oil Chevrolet talks with team owner Richard Childress prior to the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Goodyear 400 on May 14, 2023 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAY 14 NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2305143666400
DARLINGTON, SC - MAY 14: Kyle Busch 8 Richard Childress Racing Lucas Oil Chevrolet talks with team owner Richard Childress prior to the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Goodyear 400 on May 14, 2023 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAY 14 NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2305143666400
May 22, 2026, 10:30 PM CUT
Richard Childress Retires Kyle Busch’s Iconic 8 Car for Indefinite Period
With NASCAR and other racing disciplines currently mourning the loss of Kyle Busch, his team, Richard Childress Racing, has announced it is retiring the No. 8 car as a mark of respect. The team made it official in a tweet on X.
The No. 33 car will take over from the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and continue from there. However, given his son Bexton's success in CART racing and other junior levels, the No. 8 is being reserved for him once he is ready for the Cup Series.
“Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylized 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,” the post on X said.
Before Busch’s hospitalization, the team had announced Austin Hill would be filling in for him at Charlotte. However, Hill is now likely going to drive No. 33 instead.
Many drivers within the NASCAR community paid tributes to Busch. Former JGR teammate, Denny Hamlin, posted on X, “Absolutely cannot comprehend this news. We just need to think of his family during this time. We love you, KB.”
Mark Martin also took to X and said, “I’m in shock and speechless”, while Brad Keselowski, who was one of his fiercest rivals, also paid tribute to him, saying, “Absolute shock. Very hard to process. Hug your loved ones.”
911 emergency audio reveals graphic details
An audio clip from the 911 call made for Busch revealed that the driver was coughing up blood and complained of breathlessness shortly before hospitalization.
“Can I get an ambulance to come to set ****** W, Concord, North Carolina? I've got an individual that's complained of shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he's going to pass out, and he's producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood. He is awake. He's awake. He's on the bathroom floor right now,” was heard from the speaker in the audio.
According to many reports, the driver was also found unresponsive after a session on a racing simulator. However, those details are yet to be verified.
What we do know is that he was hospitalized just hours before his untimely passing. Both his family and his team put out statements soon afterwards, with no specific mention except for a ‘severe illness’.
Written by
Aaradhya Singh
Edited by
Suyashdeep Sason