Kyle Busch was honored during lap 18 of the Indy 500 on Sunday as the scoring pylon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was lit up in his memory.
The pylon displayed a picture of a smiling Busch along with his name and the years of his life, following his tragic death due to severe pneumonia earlier this week.
Upon the race entering the 18th lap, the FOX broadcast of the race observed a moment of silence.
There was also a moment of silence observed for Busch at a NASCAR Truck Series race in Charlotte on Friday, in addition to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race the following day.
The Hurricanes also held a moment of silence for the North Carolina resident Busch, 41, ahead of their playoff game against the Canadiens on Thursday.
The No. 18 car of Dale Coyne Racing’s Romain Grosjean was also re-designed for the Indy 500 in honor of Busch.
The car’s font was tweaked to match that of Busch’s No. 18 car during much of his career.
Busch never actually got the chance to race in IndyCar’s flagship event, but he will be memorialized there nonetheless.
Busch died on Thursday, following hospilization for what his family initially described as a “severe illness.”
It was later reported by the Associated Press that he became unresponsive the day before his death while testing a racing simulator in Concord, N.C.
A medical evaluation was later given to the family that said his pneumonia progressed into sepsis, which led to “rapid and overwhelming associated complications.”
