Kyle Busch was a winner through and through. The NASCAR legend, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 41 following a severe illness, which necessitated hospitalization, scored the 69th and final NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of his storied career last weekend at Dover Motor Speedway.
Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and full-time NASCAR Cup Series competitor, was slated to return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Friday evening to compete behind the wheel of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
Following the announcement of Busch’s unexpected and tragic death, Spire Motorsports has chosen to honor Busch’s memory on its race trucks on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The team’s three race trucks will all carry Kyle Busch Motorsports logos on the rear bumper, a nod to Busch’s days as a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team owner. Busch, whose Truck Series organization captured 100 race wins and seven NASCAR Truck Series owner’s championships over a 14-year stretch, sold its NASCAR Truck Series operation and assets to Spire Motorsports during the 2023 season.
Additionally, the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado that Busch was scheduled to drive but will now be piloted by Corey Day, will carry Busch’s last name on the rear window.
The KBM logos and Busch’s name remaining on the No. 7 truck are fitting tributes.
And the tributes come from a long-standing relationship between Busch and Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson, who used to serve as Busch’s spotter. On Friday, Dickerson issued a lengthy statement in honor of his fallen friend.
“It is difficult to put into words what Kyle has meant to me and my family over the last 21 years, and how much my life has been shaped by the moments, both good and bad, we shared,” Dickerson said.
Dickerson said not only would his life look different if he had never crossed paths with Busch, but he said, “the reality is our industry is filled with people who could say the exact same thing.”
According to Dickerson, Busch always wanted to know about every last detail, not just with the on-track product, but also in his appearances, business deals, and everything away from the track.
“His demand for perfection was never a burden. It was a standard worth striving for,” Dickerson stated.
Dickerson then pulled back the curtain. While Busch was a fierce competitor and a truly difficult character at times to be around at the race track, Dickerson says, “As much of a bad ass as he was on the track, some of us were lucky enough to experience how deeply he loved, how much he cared, and yes, how much he hurt.”
While Dickerson says many of the years accused him and others, who said there was another side of Busch, of trying to shift the narrative of the legendary driver, Dickerson says seeing how Busch interacted with his oldest daughter, Contessa, let him know who the true Kyle Busch was.
And now, in his passing, the world was finally able to see through stories and tributes to Busch just how devoted the racer was to his own family, wife Samantha, and children, Brexton and Lennix. “No one could question it now,” Dickerson said.
Under Kyle Busch’s gruff demeanor at the racetrack was a soft family man, who gave everything he had to those he loved away from the track. Spire Motorsports will look to snag a victory in Busch’s honor in Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
