Matt Johnson
Richard Childress Racing once again finds itself in the unfathomable position of losing a legendary driver during the NASCAR Cup Series season. Following Kyle Busch’s passing on Thursday, RCR has made its plans for the No. 8 car.
In a statement released Friday, RCR announced that it will immediately suspend the use of the No. 8 car moving forward. The entry will be renumbered to the No. 33 starting at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with the No. 8 being reserved for when Brexton Busch, Kyle’s son, is ready to begin his NASCAR career.
“Richard Childress Racing has elected to suspend use of the No. 8 and will run the No. 33 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and beyond. 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.”
Richard Childress Racing on its plans for the No. 8 Car
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On Thursday morning, when it had only been announced that Busch was hospitalized, RCR planned to have Austin Hill fill in behind the wheel of the No. 8 car. Following Thursday’s tragic passing, the team changed its plans to ensure Busch’s number is honored the right way.
Unfortunately, this is something Richard Childress and his team have experience with. Following the death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500, Childress reserved the No. 3 car and didn’t bring it back until his grandson Austin Dillon took over for the 2014 season.
Related: NASCAR Drivers Pay Their Respects to Kyle Busch
Moving forward, it will be the No. 33 car taking the full-time spot in the Cup Series. RCR had been using that as a part-time car leading up to Charlotte, with Hill and Jesse Love each making multiple Cup starts this season.
While it’s true that Busch only drove the No. 8 with RCR and he is more commonly associated with the No. 18, this is RCR’s way of honoring an all-time great who meant so much to the team and racing as a whole.
It’s fitting that Brexton Busch, who just turned 11 years old this week, will be the next driver to get behind the wheel of the No. 8 in the Cup Series for RCR. While that day is years away from happening, it will be a surreal moment for the racing world and the Busch family when it finally arrives.
