Dale Earnhardt Jr. Calls Kyle Busch’s Career “Legendary” In Video Tribute
on May 26, 2026 • Updated May 26, 2026
On Sunday, May 24, the Coca-Cola 600 was short of one of its competitors…
Kyle Busch died at the age of 41 just three days prior to the race, on May 21, and his absence was palpable throughout the 400 laps.
The winner of the Coca-Cola 600, Daniel Suárez, went on to dedicate his victory to the memory of Kyle Busch, wearing a hat emblazoned with No. 8 in his honor. See more on Suárez’ victory dedication, here.
Ahead of the race, Samantha Busch, widow to Kyle, was told that she and her two children (Brexton and Lennix) were “NASCAR family forever” by the organization’s CEO, Steve O’Donnell.
Why all this praise was being directed at Kyle was perhaps best articulated by another NASCAR great: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
In a poignant tribute video, Dale expressed why Kyle Busch was among the greats of the sport of stock car racing.
RELATED: Coca-Cola 600 Tribute Welcomes Kyle Busch’s Widow And Children Into “NASCAR Family Forever”
Watch Dale Earnhardt Jr. Narrate A Powerful Tribute To Kyle Busch
In a career-spanning tribute set to the song “Here’s To My Old Friends” by the band Dancing Years, Dale Earnhardt Jr. narrated a powerful video on Kyle’s lifelong devotion to the sport of racing.
The video begins by detailing Kyle’s origins in racing, with Dale saying, “Kyle was born into racing.”
We see photos of Kyle beginning his racing days in go-karts, before becoming crew chief for his older brother, Kurt Busch, at the age of 10.
Throughout the video tribute, rare footage from Kyle’s past races is edited together to attempt to provide a complete portrait of Kyle’s legacy.
Alluding to Kyle’s once controversial presence in racing, Dale describes the gradual shift that occurred as Kyle was accepted into the sport, saying that the “boos gave way to cheers.”
At one point, Dale quotes a 26-year-old Kyle from around 2011, saying, “Some time ago, Kyle was asked how he wanted to be thought of when he retired. His answer: ‘The first thing they’ll remember me by are my own track success.'”
From there, Dale then states that Kyle then mentioned another thing he’ll be remembered for, quoting Kyle:
“‘The second thing would be how I grew up in the limelight. I started this when I was 18 years old — and now I’m 26 — and, when I retire, I’ll be 40, and they’ll see the whole transition of my life and how I made it through, and it was all under the skeptic’s eye. Certainly, I know I wasn’t the best coming in, and I’m not now, but we’ll see how it turns out when I’m 40.'”
Dale then went on to add, “It turned out to be legendary.”
Kyle is remembered best as a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, winning in 2015 and 2019.
“I will always remember him as the guy who hated to lose more than anybody,” said Dale. “He won more races across the top three NASCAR series than any driver in history.”
On May 15, Kyle competed in the ECOSAVE 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover Motor Speedway, and it was there that he won the final race of his career.
That was his 234th career win across the top three NASCAR series.
In the tribute video, we can see Kyle being asked, “Why do these moments never get old?”
Kyle then responds, “Because you never know when the last one is.”
Watch Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s powerful tribute to his late friend, Kyle Busch, here:
Dale Jr. remembers his friend Kyle Busch. pic.twitter.com/88wWCWK2cX
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) May 24, 2026
RELATED: Daniel Suárez Dedicates Coca-Cola 600 Victory To Late Kyle Busch
