It has been over a month since the tragic and sudden death of two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. Since the day of his passing on May 21, the NASCAR community has been flooded with tributes for the late champion.
Ahead of this Sunday’s Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway, the track is offering their tributes to the 63-time Cup Series winner. Sonoma Raceway has dedicated the course’s eighth turn to Busch in honor of his last car number.
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In addition, Busch has been added to the Sonoma Raceway Wall of Fame, with an official induction date planned for Sunday.
Kyle Busch honored by Sonoma Raceway
NASCAR on FOX’s X account posted a video on Friday showing turn 8 of the 12-turn, 2.52-mile course.
As shown in the video, a No. 8 decal, synonymous with the same font on Busch’s Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, is displayed on the turn 8 retaining wall.
“Turn 8 at Sonoma Raceway is dedicated to Kyle Busch,” NASCAR on FOX wrote via X.
Brought to light on X by FOX motorsports reporter Bob Pockrass, a plaque for Busch was added to the Sonoma Raceway Wall of Fame, alongside the greats who were able to navigate the California road course.
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While not many details were given, Pockrass said the track has an induction planned for Sunday.
“Kyle Busch has been added to the Sonoma Raceway Wall of Fame with an official “induction date” of Sunday,” Pockrass wrote.
Busch, who died at age 41 after a case of pneumonia progressed into sepsis, was a two-time winner at the Sonoma Raceway. His first win came in 2008, the first season the Las Vegas native was behind the wheel of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
The Busch Sonoma victory fans remember more is 2015. At the start of the year, Busch suffered a broken leg and foot in a crash at Daytona in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity).
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Busch was sidelined for the first 11 Cup Series races of the season due to his injuries. However, Busch would recover and win at the Sonoma Raceway in just his fifth race back since the brutal injury.
That would be the first of five wins for Busch in the 2015 season on his way to claiming his first Cup Series championship. It was a season many NASCAR fans admire today as Busch made a miraculous comeback from injury to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
Sonoma Raceway adding to many tributes for Busch
In every race since Busch’s passing last month, each track has held a silent lap 8 in honor of the fallen legend. Many fans who have shown up for the races held up eight fingers in tribute to Busch.
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At Pocono Raceway, the track painted “Rowdy” on the start/finish line, paying homage to the late champion’s nickname. After Denny Hamlin won at Michigan earlier this month to tie Busch on the all-time wins list, he paid tribute by celebrating with a special 18 flag in remembrance.
With 234 career victories across the top three series, Busch was the winningest overall driver the sport has ever seen. The continuing tributes to Busch exemplify how impactful he was to NASCAR.
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