Richard Childress Racing Retires Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Temporarily

Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has decided to temporarily retire the No. 8 car driven by the late Kyle Busch. This decision will hold until his son, Brexton, is prepared to drive in the Cup Series. The No. 33 car will replace No. 8 in the races starting with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This comes after the untimely passing of the 41-year-old Kyle Busch on Thursday, though the cause of his death has not been disclosed.

Austin Hill will take the reins from the two-time Cup Series champion for NASCAR’s longest event of the season. RCR’s statement highlighted the significance of the No. 8 car, as Kyle Busch was a key figure in its design. The car has become a significant symbol among fans and within NASCAR itself.

RCR emphasized, “The No. 8 is reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing.” Brexton, 11, has gained recognition for his racing talent, having won the Tulsa Shootout Jr. Sprint Championship last year, an achievement that earned him a Golden Driller.

Brexton is a third-generation racer who began competing in 2020 in the Beginner Box Stock division at Millbridge Speedway, a dirt track in Salisbury, North Carolina. He quickly claimed victory at Mountain Creek Speedway and has achieved numerous victories since then.

In 2024, Brexton won 48 races and achieved 126 top-10 finishes and 107 top-5 finishes across various race car styles. This harks back to 2001, when RCR also changed car numbers following the death of Dale Earnhardt at the Daytona 500. That year, the team switched from the black No. 3 to the white No. 29 and eventually brought back No. 3 for the 2014 racing season with Richard Childress’ grandson, Austin Dillon, as the driver.