Two teams pay tribute to NASCAR champion
By Morgan Squires,
September 16, 2026
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How would the NFL react if Aaron Rodgers won a game Sunday, then suddenly passed away on Friday? Certainly, the NFL community would be shocked.That happened this year to the NASCAR community.On May 21, just six days after his Dover Truck Series win, Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, passed away. This was Kyle Busch's 239th national series win, the most of any driver ever.This was startling news for the NASCAR community. A giant of the sport was suddenly gone, never to race again. The weekend turned into a three-day-long vigil, with many drivers, fans, writers and team members sharing experiences and memories of the champion, just days before NASCAR's longest race of the year.Busch is most famous for driving for two teams: the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 and the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18. Fittingly, these two teams have decided to put tributes on the track for two races this season.As we prepare to head to Bristol for a special weekend honoring Kyle Busch, we wanted to give those closest to him the first opportunity to see the M&M’S tribute car up close. The scheme contains a mosaic of photos that capture Kyle’s life as husband, father, championship-winning… pic.twitter.com/pjfkfqX0TM— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) September 15, 2026
Ty Gibbs, who replaced Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing, is running a "Candyman" No. 54 tribute at Bristol, one of Busch's best race tracks, this weekend. Busch's most iconic and well-known paint scheme was a bright yellow car covered in M&M's. He ran this car for 15 seasons and achieved over half of his Cup Series wins in this iconic scheme. Mars Inc., which owns M&M's, left the sport when Kyle Busch left Joe Gibbs Racing, but has decided to come back for one race to pay tribute to the driver it sponsored for 15 years.Check out @KyleLarsonRacin's Kyle Busch Tribute Chevrolet for Las Vegas.
All the angles: https://t.co/M9MLgZWS01 pic.twitter.com/erXmCeS9Df— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) September 10, 2026
Kyle Busch started his career in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5, sponsored by Kellogg's and Car Quest. Kyle Larson, fellow two-time champion and current driver of the No. 5, is running a tribute to his Car Quest scheme at Las Vegas on Oct. 4, with his current sponsor, Hendrickcars.com. This car, being driven in Busch's hometown of Las Vegas, helps to encapsulate the beginning of Busch's illustrious career, which would end with him being the winningest driver in NASCAR history.As with all sports communities, the NASCAR community is often described as close and familial. Many drivers are friends off the track, and many fans are happy to meet other fans, regardless of who they cheer for on the track, just happy to meet someone who enjoys a moderately niche sport as they themselves do. Teams compete against each other every week, but some things are greater than competition. Paying tribute to one of the all-time greats is one of these things.
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