Ahead of the Coca-Cola 600, Chase Elliott paid an emotional tribute to his NASCAR competitor, Kyle Busch.
NASCAR champion, Kyle Busch tragically passed away on May 21, 2026. A day before his untimely demise, the 41-year-old NASCAR champion was found unresponsive inside a Chevrolet racing simulator. On May 23, 2026, his family shared a heart-wrenching note to reveal the official cause of his death. According to the note, Kyle died after suffering from severe pneumonia. Later, it rapidly turned into sepsis, making his health condition worse. Amid this, Chase Elliott paid an emotional tribute to him.
Kyle Busch was prepping for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, 2026. According to the latest reports, Austin Hill is replacing Kyle Busch in the Coca-Cola 600. Ahead of the Coca-Cola 600, Chase Elliott, son of Bill Elliott, paid a heart-touching tribute to his NASCAR competitor, Kyle Busch.
Speaking to the media on May 23, 2026, Chase shared that he would be in 'extreme favour' of Kyle being named the NASCAR Most Popular Driver in 2026. Earlier, Chase’s father, Bill, who was voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver 16 times in the Cup Series, did a similar thing back in 2021, when Dale Earnhardt passed away. Chase was quoted as saying:
"I would be in extreme favour of Kyle winning the vote. He’s a guy who certainly poured a lot of his life into the sport…I would certainly be in favour of him winning, whatever it took. It would be really deserving for him to have that honour."
Speaking to the media on May 23, 2026, Chase also opened up about his bonding with NASCAR competitor, Kyle. Chase shared that even though Kyle had beaten him in many important races, the late NASCAR champion also showed love and kindness. Chase mentioned that he felt they shared mutual respect throughout their careers. He became emotional while speaking about Kyle’s bond with his son, Brexton, who has followed his dad’s legacy. He was quoted as saying:
"He handed me one of the toughest losses of my career at Dover Motor Speedway, but he was the first and one of the very few to come pat me on the back when we lost the Coca-Cola 600 here with that late caution, and people don't talk about that or see that a whole lot. And I just felt like we always shared that mutual type of respect over the course of my whole career. Just to think about how much Busch's son, Brexton, meant to him, and I grew up in a very similar manner. "
Chase shared that Kyle and Brexton’s bond reminds him of his relationship with his dad, Bill. He felt sad that Kyle would not get the chance to watch his son grow up and achieve things in racing. Kyle’s untimely death still feels unreal to Chase. He highlighted that the late NASCAR champion had a bigger impact on his career. After competing with Kyle for so many years, Chase said that it would be strange and painful to race without the legend in the upcoming races. He was quoted as saying:
"Growing up around the racetrack and seeing some of those things, it's just such a shame he's not going to have the opportunity to see some of the things my dad, Bill Elliott, has got to see, which is really tough. Just kind of reflecting on a lot of stories, and honestly hard to believe, it really doesn't feel real in a lot of ways. I think it has hit me pretty hard, truthfully. I think it has probably hit all of us pretty hard. All the years racing together, it's not going to feel right racing without him tomorrow."
Rest in peace, Kyle Busch. What are your thoughts on Chase Elliott's emotional tribute to Kyle Busch? Let us know.
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