Bowman Gray Stadium announced Thursday that it will host the first-ever Kyle Busch Invitational on Friday, Aug. 21, honoring the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who died in May at age 41 after complications from pneumonia.
The event will feature up to 51 Legend Cars and 18 Bandolero Cars racing at the historic quarter-mile track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina - the same entry-level divisions Busch competed in early in his career. Gates open at 2 p.m., with racing beginning at 5 p.m. and continuing through a full night of heat races and features. All proceeds will benefit The Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund, the nonprofit the couple founded to support families facing infertility.
"The Legend Car played an important role in Kyle's development on his path to becoming one of the greatest race car drivers of his generation," said G.E. Chapman of U.S. Legend Cars International, calling the tribute "a tremendous honor."
Busch's widow, Samantha, shared on Instagram that the event fulfills something her husband had long hoped to see. "Kyle truly believed grassroots racing was the heart of NASCAR, and bringing a Legend car race to Bowman Gray was something we talked about often," she wrote, adding that some of Kyle's happiest moments came not on Sundays, but at local tracks with their son, Brexton, mentoring young drivers.
The Invitational adds to a growing list of tributes to Busch, who ranks 10th all-time in Cup Series wins. A public celebration of life is also scheduled for Oct. 9 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
For a family that has leaned publicly on faith throughout an incredibly difficult season, this latest tribute is another sign of a community determined to carry Kyle's legacy - and his family - forward.
