Richard Childress Racing has made the decision to change the number on the side of what was supposed to be Kyle Busch's 2026 Coca-Cola 600 entry.
The 41-year-old NASCAR legend died suddenly on Thursday, and the shock and grief that has followed is overwhelming.
RCR announced that Austin Hill will drive the entry meant for Busch in this weekend's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but it will not be the No. 8 Chevrolet. The team will utilize the No. 33, and the No. 8 will not return to the track ... unless Kyle's currently 11-year-old son Brexton Busch one day wants to use it.
Busch's final three Cup Series wins came with the No. 8, all during the 2023 season.
"Richard Childress Racing has elected to suspend use of the No. 8 and will run the No. 33 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and beyond," said the team in a statement. "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."
This is reminiscent of what RCR did following the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500. The No. 3 Earnhardt made famous was shelved, replaced by the No. 29 driven by Kevin Harvick. The No. 3 only returned to Cup Series competition over a decade later, with Childress' grandson Austin, as the number was originally connected to the Childress family before Earnhardt made it iconic.
The number Busch used for the majority of his career was the No. 18, which Joe Gibbs Racing has not used since he left the team after the 2022 season.
