Kyle Busch Named NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Posthumously

Samantha Busch accepted the trophy for her late husband at NASCAR’s season-ending awards ceremony at the Miami center honoring Adrienne Arsht. This marked Kyle Busch’s first time receiving the fan-voted honor in a 25-year career spanning NASCAR’s three national series. He died at 41 in May after pneumonia led to sepsis and severe complications.

In her speech, Samantha thanked fans, drivers and others in the NASCAR community for supporting the family. She said the recognition mattered especially because it could help the couple’s children, Brexton and Lennix, understand how much their father meant to people. “They miss their dad in ways that I can’t even begin to explain,” she said.

Samantha also celebrated Busch’s outspoken, fiercely competitive character and recalled his enjoyment of meeting fans. She thanked Chase Elliott and other drivers for encouraging supporters to vote for him. Elliott, who had won the previous eight awards, removed himself from consideration this year.

Busch became the first winner since 1990 who was not an Earnhardt or Elliott. The award went to Dale Earnhardt posthumously in 2001, then to Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 15 straight years before Elliott’s run began. Busch won 63 Cup races and two Cup championships, and recorded 234 victories in NASCAR’s three highest-level series, a record total.