Richard Childress Racing announced on Friday that the team will suspend its use of the No. 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series following the death of Kyle Busch, the full-time driver of the entry. Busch passed away at the age of 41 following a “severe illness” on Thursday. Beginning with this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the second full-time Richard Childress Racing entry in the NASCAR Cup Series will carry the No. 33.
As previously announced, Austin Hill will pilot the car in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. The team hasn’t officially announced who will compete in the No. 33 Chevrolet for the remainder of the season.
In a statement, Richard Childress Racing says that Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylized No. 8 number font, and the number has become synonymous with Busch since he took over as the driver of the team’s No. 8 Chevrolet in 2023. The No. 8 became an important symbol for Busch and his race fans, which led the team to decide to suspend use of the number.
Richard Childress Racing says that it will keep the No. 8 “reserved and ready” for Brexton Busch, the son of Kyle Busch, when he is ready to compete in NASCAR.
Unfortunately, Richard Childress Racing has endured tragedy similar to what unfolded this week in the past. The storied race team suffered the loss of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. In the wake of Earnhardt’s death, Richard Childress Racing made a similar move with the car number on its race car.
After the death of Earnhardt, Richard Childress chose to change the number of the car that Earnhardt had competed in with the team since 1984 to the No. 29, and Kevin Harvick was thrust into the NASCAR Cup Series full-time beginning with the race at Rockingham Speedway the week after Earnhardt’s tragic death.
RCR kept the No. 3 retired, unofficially, by renewing its license for the car number with NASCAR from the 2001 NASCAR Cup Series season until the team finally brought the No. 3 back onto the track with Austin Dillon as the driver in 2014.
Childress explained at the time that the only reason he brought the No. 3 back was that Dillon wanted to utilize the number that Childress, Dillon’s grandfather, used during his racing career. Childress, who has fielded a NASCAR Cup Series entry since the 1969 season, drove the No. 3 car from 1976 until he chose to step aside to make room for Earnhardt to drive his race car initially in 1981. After the 1981 season, Earnhardt left to race for Bud Moore’s team in 1982 and 1983, but returned to Richard Childress Racing in 1984.
Earnhardt would go on to win six NASCAR Cup Series championships as the driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet from 1986 to 1994. Earnhardt also won the 1980 NASCAR Cup Series title with Osterlund Racing prior to moving to Richard Childress Racing.
