Richard Childress Racing has announced the temporary retirement of Kyle Busch’s iconic No. 8 Cup Series car following the unexpected death of the 41-year-old driver.
The team intends for the number to remain out of circulation until Busch’s 11-year-old son, Brexton, is old enough to take the wheel himself.
Beginning with Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600, RCR will field the No. 33 car on the Cup Series circuit.
Austin Hill is slated to replace Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, at Charlotte Motor Speedway for NASCAR’s longest race of the season. Busch died unexpectedly on Thursday.
Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family Saturday.
Brexton Busch is already making a name for himself in the racing world, having secured the Tulsa Shootout Jr. Sprint Championship last year, earning his first career Golden Driller trophy.
In a poignant statement, RCR confirmed their decision: “Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylized No. 8 and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for his fans and the NASCAR industry. No one can carry it forward to the level that he did. The No. 8 is reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing.”
A third-generation Busch driver, Brexton commenced his racing journey in 2020 at the age of five, competing in the Beginner Box Stock division at Millbridge Speedway in North Carolina.
His website details his first victory at Mountain Creek Speedway just a month later, and he has since amassed an impressive record, including 48 wins, 126 top-10s, and 107 top-5s across various race car styles in 2024.
This move echoes a previous decision by RCR in 2001, when the team changed car numbers from the black No. 3 to the white No. 29 after Dale Earnhardt’s fatal crash at the Daytona 500.
The No. 3 eventually returned for the 2014 season, driven by owner Richard Childress’s grandson, Austin Dillon.
