Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Friday, May 22, 2026
Kyle Busch, Two-Time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Dies at 41
Kyle Busch, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the sport's all-time wins leader across its three national series, died Thursday at age 41. The Busch family, Richard Childress Racing, and NASCAR issued a joint statement confirming his passing after he was hospitalized with a severe illness earlier that day. No cause of death was given. Busch won 63 Cup races and two championships — 2015 and 2019 — during 22 full-time seasons, and accumulated 234 victories across NASCAR's three national series, more than any driver in history. He is survived by wife Samantha and children Brexton, 11, and Lennix, 4.
Sources: NASCAR.com, Jayski
NASCAR Community in Mourning After Kyle Busch's Sudden Death
The NASCAR community responded with shock Thursday to news of Kyle Busch's death at 41. Denny Hamlin, who won last Sunday's All-Star Race at Dover, wrote: “Absolutely cannot comprehend this news. We just need to think of his family during this time. We love you, KB.” Richard Childress Racing described Busch as “a champion among champions — a once-in-a-generation competitor” and confirmed the No. 8 team would race in his honor at this weekend's Coca-Cola 600. The sport acknowledged that Busch's 234 career victories across all three national series — a record likely never to be broken — made him one of the most accomplished drivers in NASCAR history.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Charlotte Motor Speedway Plans Coca-Cola 600 Tribute for Kyle Busch
Charlotte Motor Speedway confirmed Thursday it would hold a tribute to Kyle Busch during Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, the race where the two-time champion compiled unmatched records at the 1.5-mile oval. Officials said the weekend would be “an opportunity to pay tribute to all that he meant to the sport, to Charlotte Motor Speedway's winningest driver across all three major series.” Busch won the 2018 Coca-Cola 600, led a record 1,487 laps at the track among active drivers, and made 37 Cup starts at Charlotte — more than any competitor currently racing in the series. The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled for Sunday evening at 6 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
Sources: WCNC (NBC Charlotte), Motorsport.com
RCR Names Austin Hill to Drive Kyle Busch's No. 8 Chevrolet at Charlotte
Richard Childress Racing confirmed Thursday that Austin Hill, the team's full-time O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver, will pilot the No. 8 Chevrolet in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway following Kyle Busch's death. Hill, 32, of Grayson, Georgia, won the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series opener at Daytona in February 2026. He has made 17 Cup Series starts over five years but has never raced in the Coca-Cola 600. Corey Day was separately named as Busch's replacement in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Charlotte on Friday. RCR said the full organization stood behind the Busch family and would race in his honor this weekend.
Sources: Jayski, NASCAR.com
Fans Flood Kyle Busch's Bundle of Joy Fertility Charity with Donations
Fans across the country flooded the Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund with donations Thursday following news of the NASCAR champion's death at 41. The charitable foundation, which Busch and wife Samantha founded in 2015 to help couples afford fertility treatments after their own IVF journey, received hundreds of new tributes within hours of his passing. Many donors gave exactly $18.08 — referencing the No. 18 Busch drove during his championship years at Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 8 he carried for Richard Childress Racing. The fund has awarded more than $2 million in grants to over 150 recipients, helping fund 100 births to date.
Sources: WCNC (NBC Charlotte)
Coca-Cola 600 Preview: Reddick, Hamlin Lead Field Into NASCAR's Longest Race
Sunday's 67th Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is NASCAR's longest race and marks the halfway point of the 2026 regular season. Tyler Reddick, who leads the championship by 129 points after five wins in the first 12 races, enters as a co-favorite alongside Denny Hamlin, whose momentum from last weekend's All-Star win at Dover makes him the early betting choice at +500. Defending winner Ross Chastain has not visited Victory Lane since last year's stunning come-from-behind drive starting 40th in a backup car. The four-stage, 400-lap format awards more championship points than any event except the Daytona 500. Race coverage begins Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
Sources: NASCAR.com
Katherine Legge to Make History as First Woman to Attempt Indy 500/Coke 600 Double
Katherine Legge, a 45-year-old British driver, will make motorsport history Sunday as the first woman to attempt the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Legge starts 26th in the 110th running of the Indy 500 in the No. 11 for HMD Motorsports with AJ Foyt Racing before flying to Charlotte for the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet. Only five drivers have previously completed the Double: John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Larson. At 45, Legge will be the oldest competitor to attempt the feat by roughly a decade and the first non-American driver to do so.
Sources: NASCAR.com, NASCAR.com
What's Trending in NASCAR Cup Series
Tyler Reddick's Historic 2026 Season — Reddick has won five of NASCAR's first 12 races and leads the championship by 129 points, putting him on pace for one of the sport's most dominant title campaigns in the modern era.
Playoff Bubble Watch at Charlotte — Shane van Gisbergen sits exactly on the playoff cut line heading into the Coca-Cola 600, with Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Ross Chastain all within striking distance of the 16th and final spot.
Military Tribute Tradition Returns to the 600 — Every Cup Series car will carry the name of a fallen soldier on its windshield banner Sunday, continuing Charlotte Motor Speedway's annual Memorial Day tribute that has honored veterans since 2017.
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Tyler Reddick — 567 pts
2. Denny Hamlin — 438 pts
3. Chase Elliott — 422 pts
4. Ryan Blaney — 405 pts
5. Chris Buescher — 375 pts
6. Ty Gibbs — 372 pts
7. Carson Hocevar — 342 pts
8. Kyle Larson — 332 pts
9. Ryan Preece — 321 pts
10. Brad Keselowski — 318 pts
11. Bubba Wallace — 313 pts
12. Christopher Bell — 311 pts
13. William Byron — 309 pts
14. Daniel Suárez — 295 pts
15. Austin Cindric — 287 pts
16. Shane van Gisbergen — 283 pts
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — 442 pts
2. Chevrolet — 435 pts
3. Ford — 394 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency