In a heartfelt video, Samantha Busch shared how NASCAR Cup Series driver Ty Gibbs has stepped up in support of her son, Brexton, in the wake of Kyle Busch’s unexpected passing last May. Gibbs, grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, endured the same heartbreak when his dad, Coy, died in November 2022.
Gibbs is set to run a Kyle Busch M&M’s tribute livery on his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The 23-year-old enters as the defending Bristol Cup winner after securing his first series victory last April in the Food City 500.
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Samantha Busch said Ty Gibbs has been ‘like a big brother’ to Brexton
In a now expired Instagram story video, Samantha Busch detailed the many heartfelt gestures Gibbs has shown to Brexton since their family experienced the unfathomable tragedy.
“I can’t even put into words how wonderful he has been to Brexton. He’s been like a big brother. He’s been a source of comfort for him. … Ty’s still young himself and he has come over, he’s taken Brexton to lunch, he’s rode carts around our neighborhood with him, he came and picked him up and took him to breakfast and took him to the track to race carts,” she said.
Kyle Busch, NASCAR’s winningest overall driver and two-time Cup Series champion, died on May 21 after a case of severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis. Since then, the NASCAR community has wrapped their arms around the Busch family in support.
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In the early morning hours after Gibbs won the 2022 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship, his father, Coy, passed away in his sleep.
With both Ty and Brexton having to face the heartbreaking reality of losing their fathers, Samantha said they have been able to understand each other.
Having Gibbs, Samantha said, has lifted Brexton’s spirits.
“NASCAR is family. Ty knows what it’s like. It’s kind of funny, Coy and Kyle were so similar. They were just blunt, shoot you straight. I think for Brexton to have Ty to understand exactly what he’s going through — he came from home one day from hanging out with Ty and he was like, ‘We talked about our dads,’ and he just comes home so much happier,” Samantha said.
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NASCAR honoring Kyle Busch this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway
The tributes to the late Kyle Busch continue this weekend at the Bristol Motor Speedway.
In addition to Gibbs’ tribute scheme, every fan who pays for a grandstand ticket will receive a yellow M&M’s towel with a logo of Kyle Busch’s signature on it. The track is asking the fans to wave the yellow towels during Lap 18 in honor of the fallen champion.
Kyle Busch’s NASCAR career was synonymous with the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota for JGR, which he drove from 2008-2022. Busch won 56 of his 63 career Cup races behind the wheel of the No. 18 car.
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After JGR, Busch joined Richard Childress Racing to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet. Ahead of this race weekend, Bristol Motor Speedway has added the black No. 8 tribute number decal to the surface of the 0.5-mile racetrack.
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