INDIANAPOLIS – The tributes for Kyle Busch started before racing's biggest day of the year officially began.
At Sunday's Indianapolis 500, Dale Coyne Racing changed the font of Romain Grosjean's No. 18 car to replicate the font the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and two-time Brickyard 400 winner used during his 14 seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing in his No. 18 car.
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Then came the opening prayer, in which Busch was mentioned by name. And on Lap 18, race officials lit up the scoring pylon next to pit lane with Busch's name, his birth year and 2026.
Even with the pageantry of Indianapolis' big IndyCar race, Busch, who had more wins (234) than anyone across NASCAR’s three national series, was never far from the thoughts of people in the city that dubs itself the “Racing Capital of the World.” The father of two died Thursday at age 41 from what his family said was severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.
“It’s desperately sad. It’s also one of those things where you try not to think about it or let it in because you’ve got so much to do, you can’t let yourself get emotional,” Katherine Legge said Friday after returning to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “But honestly, racing has lost one of the greatest drivers, in my opinion, of all time. If you look back at the history and just — he was a legend.”
As Indy held its biggest race of the year, those who knew or competed against Busch raced with a heavy heart.
“How can you not be in shock over the situation?” two-time Indy winner Josef Newgarden said Friday. “I think it just puts into perspective how fragile life is. You just don’t know. Makes me think of his kids, to be honest with you. Gosh, I feel terrible about — I have two sons now. That’s the thing that breaks my heart.”
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