Kyle Busch's widow shares heartfelt Father’s Day tribute to late NASCAR driver

A lot of people knew about Kyle Busch the driver: the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, the winner of a record 234 races across NASCAR's top three national touring series, the man who embraced his “Rowdy” persona with his brash and unapologetic style of racing.

But fans were just beginning to get to know Busch as a father, a doting dad to 11-year-old Brexton and 4-year-old Lennix. The one who taught Brexton how to drive a racecar, the one who celebrated with Lennix in victory lane.

That’s the man Samantha Busch is remembering on Father’s Day — one month exactly since her husband’s shocking death at the age of 41. The accomplished NASCAR driver died on May 21 due to complications of severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.

“I was up all night thinking about what today should have looked like for Kyle and the kids. The Father’s Day cards that were already made, sitting in a drawer with no one to give them to. Trying to figure out how to navigate a day that should be filled with so much joy for them,” Samantha Busch wrote in a post on Instagram. “He was the dad who never missed a chance to be silly, race the kids around the neighborhood, wrap them in his arms, or stay up a little longer for one more book, one more question, one more moment.”

Busch’s tragic passing shook the NASCAR world and tributes continue to pour in. On Saturday night, Austin Hill did a burnout next to Busch’s No. 8 in San Diego after winning the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Naval Base Coronado.

Brexton Busch has returned to racing since his dad’s death, racing Legends Cars at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Samantha Busch previously wrote in an Instagram post that the racetrack “still feels like home.”

The post Samantha Busch made on Instagram on Father’s Day was filled with short video clips of Kyle Busch being a dad — playing with his kids, tickling them, racing Brexton to the ocean at the beach, and letting Lennix put makeup on him.

“Kyle, the kids and I miss you every second of every day. Our hearts ache for you, but it’s more than that. Your absence is something we physically feel. Our bodies hurt from missing you, from reaching for someone who isn’t there, from loving someone we can’t hold anymore,” Samantha Busch wrote. “I will keep telling your stories, sharing your laughs, and making sure Brexton and Lennix always know just how deeply they were loved by their dad.”