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Kyle Busch Invitational at Bowman Gray Benefits Charity

7/17/2026

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Summary

Kyle Busch Invitational

Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem will host the Kyle Busch Invitational on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026.
All proceeds will benefit the Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund, which has awarded over 150 grants totaling more than $2.3 million.
The event will include up to 51 Legend and 18 Bandolero cars, broadcast on FloRacing and the NASCAR Channel, with tickets available at the track from 2 p.m.

Summary

Samantha Busch Grieves

Samantha Busch announced on July 16 that her grandfather had died, weeks after Kyle Busch’s death.
She posted a photo of Kyle Busch with his children Brexton, 11, and Lennix, 4, beside her grandfather and later thanked NASCAR fans and fellow NASCAR wives for meals, texts, and emotional support.
Kyle Busch died at age 41 on May 21 after being found unconscious in a racing simulator, where pneumonia led to sepsis.

Summary

Kyle Busch Victory

NASCAR raised the Truck Series limit for veteran Cup drivers from five to eight races.
Kyle Busch’s eight-race plan yielded four starts and a Dover win a week before his death.
Corey Day started from pole at Charlotte in Busch’s No. 7 Chevrolet, using Busch’s season metrics.
Chase Elliott replaced Busch at North Wilkesboro, sought the Most Popular Driver Award and donated bounty money to the Bundle of Joy Fund.

History

Historical Context

Dale Earnhardt’s fatal crash on February 18 2001 at the Daytona 500 prompted NASCAR to overhaul safety, mandating the HANS or Hutchens head-and-neck device on October 17 2001 and installing SAFER barriers at all top-series tracks. By the following Pepsi 400, 41 of 43 drivers already wore the device, and the Car of Tomorrow was later developed, eliminating further driver deaths in the three national series.

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Kyle Busch Invitational

Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem will host the Kyle Busch Invitational on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026.
All proceeds will benefit the Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund, which has awarded over 150 grants totaling more than $2.3 million.
The event will include up to 51 Legend and 18 Bandolero cars, broadcast on FloRacing and the NASCAR Channel, with tickets available at the track from 2 p.m.

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