What to Know
After NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s sudden death, people are understandably thinking about his loved ones. Kyle and his wife, Samantha Busch, welcomed two children: 11-year-old Brexton and 4-year-old Lennix. Brexton has already shown signs of following in his dad’s footsteps. But some people believe he’s now under a lot of pressure, especially because his dad’s No. 8 car has been suspended and saved for his future use.
And although Brexton seems to really enjoy race car driving right now, people worry he’ll feel like he has to stick with it, even if he doesn’t want to in the future.
The topic came up on a podcast.
Too Much Pressure? Kyle Busch Number Reserved For 11 Year Old Son.#drewlane #kylebusch #racing #celebritynews pic.twitter.com/Tx5wNoLM4y
— The Drew Lane Show (@DrewLaneShow) May 26, 2026
On a Detroit-based podcast called “The Drew Lane Show,” the hosts expressed concerns about Kyle’s retired car number. Host Marc Fellhauer spoke about how the gesture might make Brexton feel like he has to become a race car driver, whether he actually wants to be one or not.
“What if that kid, I don’t know, wants to be a dancer?” he questioned. Host Drew Lane agreed that “there’s a little pressure on that kid” now.
Of course, Brexton is already dealing with a lot. “I feel bad for that kid,” Marc added. “He just lost his dad, and now he has to become a race car driver.”
Those who saw them talking about this in a clip shared on social media didn’t necessarily agree with that take. “The boy is already a racer!” one person commented. “Why don’t you know that?” And someone else argued, “It’s more of a gesture cause who knows what team his son will drive for as he grows up.”
The same concern has come up on Reddit as well.
Reacting to the news that Kyle’s No. 8 car will be reserved for the 11-year-old, one Redditor wrote, “that’s neat, no pressure kid 🙂” Another person responded, “Right? Like what if he wants to be a doctor or a lawyer, and avoid concussions and other risks.”
The fact that Brexton is only 11 years old made the pressure seem even worse to some people online. “I thought his kid was an adult,” someone else said. “They talking about saving his number like the kid’s a year or two away from NASCAR.”
And some people were worried about how much pressure he’d face even before Kyle’s car number was retired. “Just the other day I was saying the pressure on this kid to be a cup racer one day has increased, that was before this thing about reserving the number for him was announced,” a fourth Redditor added.
On May 22, Richard Childress Racing announced the suspension of the No. 8 car.
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…
— RCR (@RCRracing) May 22, 2026
In a social media post, the organization announced, “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.”
The statement continued, “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.”
Although some people have concerns about it, others seem to really appreciate this decision. “The No. 8 became Kyle Busch no one else could carry it the same way. Reserving it for Brexton is beautiful,” someone commented on X. “Thank you for honoring him properly.”
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