Kyle Busch’s widow Samantha choked back tears in an emotional video announcing his iconic M&M’s car will return to NASCAR at his most beloved track.
Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, tragically died in May aged 41 after a short and sudden illness. It later emerged he had contracted pneumonia that developed into sepsis and resulted in his death.
He left behind wife Samantha and two kids, son Brexton, 11, and daughter Lennix, 4, with his passing sparking an outpouring of emotion, tributes and support from the NASCAR community.
Another fitting tribute will now be paid by his former team, Joe Gibbs Racing, at Bristol Motor Speedway at the iconic Bristol Night Race on September 19 as Ty Gibbs drives an M&M’s paint scheme paying tribute to Busch in the No.54 car.
Busch won 22 races at Bristol, including eight Cup Series wins, while his two championships came while M&M’s adorned his car with colorful schemes synonymous with the best moments of his career.
The Mars-owned brand left NASCAR at the end of the 2022 season, ending a 15-year association with Busch as he left the team to join Richard Childress Racing. But they will now return to the sport ‘one last time’ after doing a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing to honor their former driver.
Samantha Busch choked back tears in a video announcing a powerful Kyle Busch tribute
The No.54 car of Ty Gibbs will feature an M&M’s paint scheme paying tribute to Busch
Busch won over 20 races at Bristol Motor Speedway during his incredible NASCAR career
In a video featuring a montage of Busch’s best moments at Bristol, Samantha Busch said: ‘Some moments in racing become part of history. And for Kyle, so many of those moments happened under the lights at Bristol.
‘Bristol wasn’t just another race to him. He loved everything about that place…the intensity, the energy, the fans, and the challenge of racing there.
‘Some of the greatest moments of his career happened on that track in the yellow M&Ms car, which became such an iconic part of Kyle’s legacy. It was so much more than a paint scheme. Kyle became the M&M’s guy.
‘Over the years we heard countless stories from fans about them or their kids cheering for the M&M’s car before they even knew who was behind the wheel.
‘Those bright colors brought so many people to Kyle and to the sport, and somewhere along the way, the car and Kyle just became synonymous with each other.
‘It’s a paint scheme I think so many of us will always see and immediately think of him.
‘Seeing Mars and Joe Gibbs Racing come together to honor Kyle this way is incredibly emotional for me.’
At that point, she fought back tears as she concluded: ‘The M&M’s car holds so many memories from our life together, and seeing it back on the track knowing Kyle won’t be the one behind the wheel is going to be both heartbreaking and beautiful all at once.
Samantha Busch and kids Brexton and Lennix appeared at the Coke 600 days after his death
Samantha broke down in tears alongside son Brexton in a powerful and heartbreaking scene
‘To see the No.54 car carry those iconic colors again, filled with moments from Kyle’s incredible career, feels like bringing a piece of him back to the track that he loved so much.
‘Kyle loved Bristol and Bristol loved Kyle. Being back with our NASCAR family under the lights to celebrate his life, his career and the memories he gave all of us is something we will never forget.
‘I know he will be right there with us that night. I hope you’ll join us on Saturday, September 19 as we celebrate Kyle together.
‘I’ll see you back in Bristol.’
In the post accompanying the video, she wrote: ‘Bristol was always one of Kyle’s favorite tracks. He loved racing under the lights, found so much success there, and the iconic M&M’S car holds some of the best memories of his career and our life together.
‘Going back without him will be heartbreaking. He should be there. But I’m so grateful to be able to tell you that those iconic M&M’S colors will be coming back to Bristol, one last time, on the 54 car. It’s a chance to honor him at a place he loved so much, surrounded by our NASCAR family and the fans who loved him too. I know Kyle would want us to be there, to keep showing up, keep racing, and keep carrying his legacy forward.
‘We hope you’ll join us at Bristol as we celebrate Kyle, the incredible legacy he left behind, and the love he had for racing that will always be a part of our family.’
