Kyle Busch received a tribute in the middle of the Indy 500 Sunday … with the crowd falling silent out of respect for him during lap 18 — a nod to his former number.
Check out the clip … racers turn out of corner 4 on Lap 17 — and, as they pass the scoring pylon, a picture of Kyle Busch “1985-2026” flashes onscreen.
A tribute to Kyle Busch on Lap 18 of the Indy 500. pic.twitter.com/ZTYE0kzOgJ
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 24, 2026
The Indy 500 crowd — usually a raucous bunch — falls into a subdued silence … while pit crew members can be seen standing at attention.
Lap 18 is one of just many tributes at the Indy 500 to Busch … whose former teammate, Jimmie Johnson, appeared during Fox’s pregame show.
Before the Indy 500, @JimmieJohnson, @DanicaPatrick, and @TonyStewart remember Kyle Busch. pic.twitter.com/wemDa2t7Cr
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 24, 2026
Johnson talked about the respect Busch had from everyone about the sport … while fellow driver Danica Patrick reflected on Busch’s love of racing.
As you know … Busch passed away Thursday after a bout with severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, according to his family.
KB won his final race on May 15 — a Truck Series race … and the No. 7 car he used was back in action Sunday as well, though it didn’t have the happy ending sports fans might’ve hoped for.
I just can’t express enough how lucky we are that Corey Day’s truck came back to the ground.
Day would’ve went over that wall…My heart sank for a second. pic.twitter.com/PyqEOYGlxB
— Austin Konenski (@AustinKonenski) May 24, 2026
Driver Corey Day ended up in a hard crash during lap 47 when he received contact from Gio Ruggiero. It’s a scary looking crash … but Day was able to walk off the track under his own power.
Day said, “I just hate it for the No. 7 guys. This is exactly what I didn’t want to do today. I just wanted to deliver them a good run. I feel terrible.”
Busch was supposed to drive in the Coca-Cola 600 this afternoon … and the entire racing world is clearly still reeling from the shocking death.
