Richard Childress Racing has announced the temporary retirement of Kyle Busch’s iconic No. 8 Cup Series car after the unexpected death of the 41-year-old driver. The team plans to keep the number out of circulation until Busch's 11-year-old son, Brexton, is old enough to take the wheel himself.

Starting with Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600, RCR will field the No. 33 car on the Cup Series circuit. Austin Hill is set to replace Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for NASCAR's longest race of the season. Busch passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, succumbing to severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, leading to rapid complications, as stated by his family on Saturday.

Brexton Busch is already making strides in the racing world, having secured the Tulsa Shootout Jr. Sprint Championship last year and earning his first career Golden Driller trophy. In a poignant statement, RCR expressed:

Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylized No. 8 and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for his fans and the NASCAR industry. No one can carry it forward to the level that he did. The No. 8 is reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing.

As a third-generation Busch driver, Brexton began his racing journey in 2020 at the age of five, competing in the Beginner Box Stock division at Millbridge Speedway in North Carolina. His impressive record includes 48 wins, 126 top-10s, and 107 top-5s across various race car styles in 2024.

This decision mirrors RCR's earlier choice in 2001 when they changed car numbers from the black No. 3 to the white No. 29 after Dale Earnhardt's tragic crash at the Daytona 500. The No. 3 eventually returned for the 2014 season, driven by owner Richard Childress's grandson, Austin Dillon.