Kyle Larson will carry a piece of Kyle Busch’s NASCAR history back to Las Vegas.
Hendrick Motorsports revealed this week that Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet will feature a special Kyle Busch tribute paint scheme when the Cup Series visits Las Vegas Motor Speedway later this season.
Advertisement
And Hendrick didn’t have to look outside its own history for the design.
Larson’s car will throw it back to the No. 5 Chevrolet Busch drove for Hendrick Motorsports in 2007, recreating the bright HendrickCars.com colors and design from one of the defining victories of Busch’s early Cup career.
The setting makes the tribute even more personal.
Busch was a Las Vegas native who grew up racing in the area before becoming one of NASCAR’s most accomplished drivers. Now, Larson will bring Busch’s old Hendrick look back to his hometown track.
Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Will Throw It Back to Kyle Busch’s Hendrick Days
Long before Larson became synonymous with Hendrick’s No. 5, Busch was building his own history with the number.
Advertisement
Busch drove the No. 5 for Hendrick Motorsports during the first four full seasons of his Cup career, winning four races with the organization before moving to Joe Gibbs Racing beginning in 2008.
The scheme Larson will carry at Las Vegas comes from Busch’s final season at Hendrick.
Its significance goes beyond the paint.
Busch drove that No. 5 Chevrolet to victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in March 2007 in the first NASCAR Cup Series race contested with the Car of Tomorrow. He led 29 laps and held off Jeff Burton to win the Food City 500, becoming the first Cup driver to take NASCAR’s radically redesigned car to Victory Lane.
Advertisement
Nearly two decades later, the look is returning on Larson’s Chevrolet.
Hendrick Automotive Group unveiled the tribute with a simple message: “A legacy worth another lap.”
The organization added, “Kyle Busch’s history with the No. 5 will be honored at his hometown track in Las Vegas with a special HendrickCars.com paint scheme driven by Kyle Larson.”
It’s a fitting intersection of two eras of the No. 5.
Busch helped establish his Cup career in the car. Larson has since taken the number back to the top of NASCAR, including championships with Hendrick Motorsports.
At Las Vegas, those two chapters will come together.
Advertisement
Kyle Busch Tribute Will Give Back Beyond the Racetrack
The tribute won’t end when Larson’s No. 5 leaves the track.
Hendrick Motorsports also announced that a portion of the royalties from merchandise featuring Larson’s Kyle Busch tribute Chevrolet will support the Samantha & Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund.
The fund was established by Kyle and Samantha Busch to help families facing infertility by providing financial assistance for in-vitro fertilization treatments.
That charitable component gives Hendrick’s tribute another connection to Busch beyond his accomplishments behind the wheel.
Advertisement
Busch died in May at 41, prompting an outpouring of tributes from across NASCAR. His career included two Cup Series championships and 63 Cup victories, but his history with Hendrick remains an important part of how that career began.
And few places are more closely tied to Busch’s story than Las Vegas.
He grew up there. He raced there before NASCAR knew his name. He eventually returned as a Cup star and won at his hometown track.
When NASCAR comes back to Las Vegas, one of the cars from the earliest chapter of that journey will effectively come with it.
Only this time, Kyle Larson will be behind the wheel.
Read the full article here
