NASCAR has put Kyle Busch’s name back in the 2026 Cup Series points standings. Following Busch’s death on May 21, NASCAR removed the two-time Cup Series champion from the standings.
Busch, NASCAR’s winningest overall driver, died last May due to complications from pneumonia. He was 41 years old. Prior to Busch’s death, he made 12 points-paying starts during the 2026 Cup Series season.
NASCAR Puts Kyle Busch Back in The Cup Series Standings
In the wake of last month’s tragedy, NASCAR made the decision to remove Busch’s name from the Cup Series points standings. The decision came after talking to Busch’s team, Richard Childress Racing.
Ultimately, both sides agreed it was the right thing to do out of respect for Busch, his family, and fans, as it would be difficult to continue watching his name drop in the standings.
Now that the 2026 Cup Series season has come to a close, NASCAR has put Busch’s name back in the final standings.
Busch ranked 36th in the standings. Piloting the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Busch notched two top-10 finishes in 2026. One was a 10th-place result at Talladega last April, the other was an eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen in May.
The Watkins Glen race was Busch’s final points-paying race of his career. Busch ran the NASCAR All-Star Race exhibition the following week at Dover, just four days before his death.
Busch led 19 laps during the 2026 season, which all came in the season-opening Daytona 500. “Rowdy” started on the pole for “The Great American Race” for the first time in his career.
Following Busch’s passing, Austin Hill took over the RCR Chevrolet. The number was changed from No. 8 to No. 33 out of respect for Busch and his family.
While Hill finished the remainder of the 2026 season, he did not earn driver points in the Cup Series as he was already competing full-time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Combining Busch’s and Hill’s 2026 results, the No. 33 RCR team finished 32nd in owner points.
Hill will return to the No. 33 in 2027 as a full-time Cup Series driver competing for Cup driver points.
Kyle Busch Won NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award
At Tuesday’s NASCAR Awards in Miami, the late Kyle Busch won NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award. Many drivers pushed for Busch to win the award, which is voted on by the fans.
Chase Elliott, winner of the previous eight Most Popular Driver Awards (2018-2025), removed himself from the voting in an effort to help Busch win the award.
Similarly, in 2001, Bill Elliott, NASCAR Hall of Famer and father of Chase Elliott, removed himself from the voting that year in an effort to help the late Dale Earnhardt win Most Popular Driver.
Earnhardt, who was killed in a last-lap crash in the 2001 Daytona 500, was voted Most Popular Driver that year.
Kyle Busch was one of NASCAR’s most prolific drivers. His 63 career Cup Series wins rank 10th on the all-time wins list. Busch won two Cup championships driving the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in 2015 and 2019.
In addition, Busch holds the all-time record for most O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins with 102 and owns the record for most Truck Series victories with 69.
NASCAR Adds Kyle Busch Back to Final Cup Points Standings