When the NASCAR Cup Series returns to World Wide Technology Raceway this weekend, it will do so without the driver responsible for one of the most memorable afternoons in the track’s young Cup Series history.
Kyle Busch won the Enjoy Illinois 300 on June 4, 2023, delivering a commanding performance in his first season with Richard Childress Racing.
At the time, it was career Cup Series victory No. 63 for the two-time champion.
No one could have known it would also be his last.
Busch died May 21 at age 41 after a severe case of pneumonia progressed into sepsis. Now, less than four months later, NASCAR is returning to the 1.25-mile oval outside St. Louis where Busch celebrated his final Cup Series victory.
And on Sunday, the track plans to make sure Rowdy is remembered.
World Wide Technology Raceway Will Honor Kyle Busch on Sunday
World Wide Technology Raceway will hold a special tribute to Busch during Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300, according to an official release from Richard Childress Racing.
The first 4,000 fans through the gates will receive a Kyle Busch towel, courtesy of Rebel Bourbon. The towels will be distributed evenly across the track’s four gates.
Then comes the moment that could make for one of the weekend’s most powerful scenes.
On Lap 8, a nod to the No. 8 Chevrolet Busch drove for RCR, fans will be encouraged to wave their towels, raise their hats and make noise in honor of Rowdy.
It is a fitting tribute at a track that owns a unique place in Busch’s NASCAR legacy.
World Wide Technology Raceway joined the Cup Series schedule in 2022. One year later, Busch arrived with a Richard Childress Racing team still riding the momentum of a fast start to their new partnership.
He left with another trophy.
Kyle Busch Dominated in His Final NASCAR Cup Series Victory
Busch didn’t simply win at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2023. He controlled the afternoon.
He qualified on the pole in the No. 8 Chevrolet, won the opening stage and led a race-high 121 laps before taking the checkered flag.
Denny Hamlin finished second, with Joey Logano third, Kyle Larson fourth and Martin Truex Jr. fifth.
“That was pretty awesome. Man, to sit on the pole, lead a lot of laps and have my guys do such a great job today was pretty phenomenal for us. Great for RCR. Just win, baby,” Busch said after the victory.
The win was Busch’s third in his first 15 Cup Series starts with Richard Childress Racing. He had already won at Auto Club Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway earlier that season.
World Wide Technology Raceway became the 23rd different track where Busch had won a Cup race, and the victory pushed his career total to 63.
He would never reach Victory Lane in a Cup Series points race again.
Busch went winless over the remainder of 2023 and throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons. That made the afternoon outside St. Louis the final Cup Series victory of a career that included two championships and more than 60 wins at NASCAR’s highest level.
NASCAR’s Return to Gateway Carries New Meaning
Sunday’s race is the second event in NASCAR’s 10-race championship Chase, but the title fight will not be the only storyline surrounding World Wide Technology Raceway.
For Busch’s former team, his family, his competitors and the fans who watched him become one of the defining drivers of his generation, NASCAR’s return carries an unmistakably different meaning in 2026.
Richard Childress Racing highlighted Busch’s history at the track in its advance for this weekend, noting that his 2023 victory remains one of the organization’s defining moments at the Illinois oval.
Three years ago, Busch climbed from his No. 8 Chevrolet at World Wide Technology Raceway as a winner for the 63rd time.
This Sunday, when the field reaches Lap 8, thousands of fans will have a chance to remember the driver who made that track the site of his final Cup Series victory.
And for one lap, the focus won’t be on who is leading the Enjoy Illinois 300.
It will be on Rowdy.
NASCAR Returns to Site of Kyle Busch’s Final Cup Series Win