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MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — The shocking death of NASCAR’s Kyle Busch is being felt around the world, with many still in disbelief that the legendary driver passed away last week due to complications from pneumonia, including Tennessee’s Rick Barnes.
After a weekend filled with tributes from multiple sports leagues including the NHL, MLB, IndyCar and PGA, the news is still shocking.
For some, watching NASCAR prepare a beautiful tribute to the driver last weekend at the Coca-Cola 600 was just the kind of thing needed to help the sport get through the days following the tragic news.
KYLE BUSCH ON “Dating SEAN HANNITY”
After passing away last Thursday at a local Charlotte hospital, news of Kyle Busch’s untimely death shocked the sports community.
Kyle Busch and his son, Brexton Busch, greet fans during driver introductions before the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on February 19, 2024. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
One of those fans who follows the sport closely is Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes, who grew up attending races in Hickory, North Carolina.
As an avid NASCAR fan, the shocking news of Busch’s passing is still difficult for him to rack his brain.
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“As a NASCAR fan, I was shocked, I couldn’t believe it,” Barnes told OutKick. “I was really in disbelief because I was thinking about Kyle Busch at 41 and wondering how this could happen. As I’ve followed him so closely, I think there came a point where when you’re his age you probably feel like you can get over everything and move on. It seems like he really pushed himself until he almost had a tragic death.
“I can only imagine what it’s like for him, I’ve had double pneumonia and I know how it felt. I can only imagine him getting on that simulator with those G forces coming at him, it had to completely overwhelm him… he probably couldn’t move.”
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes protests a call during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Florida in Gainesville, Florida, on Jan. 7, 2025. (Alan Youngblood/AP)
NASCAR community rallies around Kyle Busch’s family
From the opening montage with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Amazon Prime, to the countless drivers who paid their respects to Busch in different ways, it wasn’t hard to notice the impact Busch had on the world of NASCAR.
But it was the moment CEO Steve O’Donnell took the microphone to speak to fans at home and in the crowd, flanked by Kyle’s wife, Samantha, and their two children, the tenor changed.
As “Amazing Grace” played, with NASCAR drivers behind the Busch family, we began to realize we had lost a legend. For their part, the organization did a fantastic job paying their respects to Kyle, while his son Brexton hugged his mother Samantha tightly around the hips.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Childress, Samantha Busch, Brexton Busch and NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell stand on the grid during a memorial ceremony for Kyle Busch before the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, on May 24, 2026. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
If anything, NASCAR knows how to honor those who were part of its family, as Tennessee’s Rick Barnes noted.
“I have great respect for NASCAR because I think they have the advantage over America,” Barnes recalled to OutKick. “The way they respect what came before them, they’ve never lost their way in terms of history. They’ve completely continued to honor that. You have a guy who is truly one of the greatest of all time, I thought they did a great job with that.
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“The sad part, obviously, is his wife and two kids are there, knowing that I think he wanted to race with his son one day, which is what makes NASCAR so beautiful.”
It is clear that Kyle Busch will leave a lasting legacy and will never be forgotten, as the world of NASCAR continues to honor the legendary driver into the future.
