{"id":1344,"date":"2026-05-23T21:07:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T21:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1344"},"modified":"2026-05-23T21:07:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T21:07:07","slug":"somber-mood-surrounds-coca-cola-600-as-drivers-prepare-to-race-three-days-after-kyle-buschs-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1344","title":{"rendered":"Somber mood surrounds Coca-Cola 600 as drivers prepare to race three days after Kyle Busch’s death"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
An in memoriam photo of former driver Kyle Busch is displayed on the video board of the backstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo\/Matt Kelley)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

CONCORD, N.C. \u2014 NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch found himself in bed scrolling through social media on his phone, growing more depressed with each post he read about Kyle Busch.<\/p>

Read more Harry Kane hat trick powers Bayern Munich to German Cup triumph against Stuttgart in final<\/a><\/p>\n

For the first time in his life, Zilisch had a hard time getting himself motivated to go to the racetrack.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not the only one grappling with the sudden and tragic death<\/a> of the sport\u2019s 41-year-old superstar.<\/p>\n

On Sunday night, 39 Cup Series drivers return to the track for the Coca-Cola 600 just three days after the death of Busch, who had more wins (234) than anyone across NASCAR\u2019s three national series.<\/p>\n

Severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis<\/a> and resulted in rapid and overwhelming complications that led to Busch’s death<\/a> , according to a statement released Saturday by his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just doesn\u2019t feel like a real race weekend,\u201d Zilisch said. \u201cLike the entire vibe in the garage, it\u2019s eerie here. It\u2019s gloomy. It\u2019s just, it\u2019s gonna be tough come Sunday for sure. There\u2019s gonna be a lot of emotion. It\u2019s gonna be sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rain washed out qualifying on Saturday and the gray, overcast sky served as a fitting background for the somber mood enveloping Charlotte Motor Speedway and its 1 1\/2-mile track.<\/p>\n

Former Busch rival Joey Logano said there is simply nothing normal about this weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a very different vibe. I never really felt anything like this before at the racetrack,\u201d Logano said. \u201c… You just kind of see less smiles and everybody is sad. It\u2019s an emotion that we\u2019re all feeling \u2014 as raw as it can be \u2014 and we\u2019re all trying to handle it in our own way. There are some pretty heavy emotions on our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added driver Zane Smith: \u201cThis doesn\u2019t seem real. … He was Superman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defending race champion Ross Chastain said he knows only one way to deal with Busch\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo race,\u201d said Chastain, who celebrated the come-from-behind 2025 win by slamming watermelons on the track from the roof of his car, his signature move.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know with Kyle, that\u2019s what he would want to do. So, no question in my mind about coming in and going to work and going to race,\u201d Chastain added. \u201cIt\u2019s what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are reminders of Busch everywhere.<\/p>\n

The track\u2019s oversized video board features an in memoriam photo of Busch. The scoring tower on the infield lists just one number on the very top: 8. That\u2019s been Busch\u2019s car number the past four seasons since he made the move from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing.<\/p>

Read more Moroccan king pardons Senegalese fans jailed over chaotic Africa Cup final<\/a><\/p>\n

Every car in the field will carry a black No. 8 decal on Sunday to honor the two-time Cup Series champion.<\/p>\n

Despite the overwhelming sense of sadness at the track, NASCAR CEO Steve O\u2019Donnell never considered postponing the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cKyle Busch would probably be pretty (ticked) off if we didn\u2019t race, so we\u2019re going to honor his memory,\u201d O\u2019Donnell said.<\/p>\n

Normally, Charlotte Motor Speedway goes above and beyond to honor the military on Memorial Day weekend, with several tributes to fallen soldiers, includings listing their names on the windshields.<\/p>\n

But this weekend also will be about paying tribute to Busch.<\/p>\n

So racing they will go, which Zilisch said may not be a bad thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really wanna go to the track,\u201d Zilisch said. \u201cBut at the same time, though, this place is home. And I feel like it\u2019s easier to accept it here than it is laying in my bed and just scrolling on (social media) and continuing to see posts about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others things to know about Sunday\u2019s race:<\/p>\n

Cup Series points leader Tyler Reddick will start on the pole after rain washed out qualifying<\/a> on Saturday. Ty Gibbs will be alongside Reddick on the front row.<\/p>\n

Drivers got in some practice laps on Saturday during a break in the wet weather, but more rain is in the forecast for Sunday, which could make NASCAR\u2019s longest race of the season even longer.<\/p>\n

Austin Hill, who normally competes in the O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series, will replace Busch and represent Richard Childress Racing in the No. 33 car.<\/p>\n

RCR made the decision to temporarily retire Busch\u2019s No. 8 until his 11-year-old son, Brexton, is ready to take over<\/a> and race.<\/p>\n

Austin Dillon also will race for RCR on Sunday as he looks to win his second Coca-Cola 600.<\/p>\n

Katherine Legge will look to become the first woman to complete \u201cThe Double\u201d<\/a> on Sunday, when she begins the day running the Indianapolis 500 before making the trip south for the Coca-Cola 600.<\/p>\n

Although many have tried to run \u201cThe Double,\u201d only Tony Stewart (2001) has completed all 1,100 miles.<\/p>

Read more Points leader Tyler Reddick on the pole for Coca-Cola 600 after rain washes out qualifying<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP auto racing: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/auto-racing<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NASCAR drivers are grappling with the loss of Kyle Busch, who died at age 41 from complications related to pneumonia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nSomber mood surrounds Coca-Cola 600 as drivers prepare to race three days after Kyle Busch's death - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1344\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Somber mood surrounds Coca-Cola 600 as drivers prepare to race three days after Kyle Busch's death - 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