Samantha Busch and her children, Brexton and Lennix, got an emotional first look at the car that will carry a piece of Kyle Busch’s NASCAR legacy around Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
Joe Gibbs Racing shared video of the Busch family seeing the completed M&M’s tribute car ahead of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Samantha pulled the cover away herself as Brexton and Lennix stood beside her, revealing a paint scheme built as a tribute to the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.
The No. 54 Toyota, driven by Ty Gibbs, brings one of the most recognizable looks of Busch’s career back to the track for a weekend filled with tributes to the late NASCAR star.
Samantha Busch Unveils Kyle Busch Tribute Car With Brexton and Lennix
The reveal carried considerably more meaning than a typical paint-scheme unveiling.
Samantha, Brexton and Lennix were given the chance to see the finished car before it competes under the lights at Bristol, a track deeply connected to Kyle’s career.
The scheme incorporates M&M’s branding, instantly recalling Busch’s long association with the company during his years with Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch drove the familiar M&M’s colors for much of his decorated tenure with JGR, turning the scheme into one of the defining visual signatures of his career.
Now, those colors will return to a Cup Series race with Gibbs behind the wheel.
The tribute also brings Busch’s family directly into a weekend designed to celebrate what he meant to NASCAR. Seeing Samantha lift the cover with Brexton and Lennix beside her made the moment about far more than a race car. It connected one of the most recognizable chapters of Busch’s racing career with the family carrying his legacy forward.
Busch died in May at age 41 after being hospitalized with a severe illness. His family later confirmed that he died from complications of pneumonia that progressed to sepsis.
He left behind a historic NASCAR résumé, including two Cup Series championships and 234 victories across NASCAR’s three national series.
Bristol Will Honor Kyle Busch During Saturday Night’s Race
The tribute car will be only one part of Bristol’s celebration of Busch.
Fans attending Saturday night’s Cup Series race will receive yellow tribute towels, a nod to the yellow that became synonymous with Busch’s M&M’s cars. A special tribute is also planned for Lap 18, recognizing the number Busch drove throughout his years with Joe Gibbs Racing.
The choice of Bristol carries its own significance.
Busch built an extraordinary record at the Tennessee short track, winning eight Cup Series races there during his career. He also became the first driver to sweep all three of NASCAR’s national-series races at the same track on the same weekend when he accomplished the feat at Bristol in 2010. He did it again at Bristol in 2017.
Saturday night will look much different.
But when the tribute car rolls onto the half-mile track under the lights, one of the most familiar pieces of Busch’s career will be back at a place where he created some of his greatest moments.
And before anyone else sees it race, Samantha, Brexton and Lennix got to see what NASCAR will see Saturday night: a car built to remember Kyle.
WATCH: Samantha, Brexton and Lennix Busch See Kyle Busch Tribute Car Ahead of Bristol