Long before the CookOut Summer Shootout became a summer tradition at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Robby Faggart was already building a life around the track. The Concord native worked under legendary promoter Humpy Wheeler in the 1980s, won a NASCAR Sportsman championship at the speedway in 1992, and later reinvented himself in Legend Cars alongside a new generation of racers.

More than three decades after those early days, the 65-year-old found himself back in Victory Lane. But this win carried a different weight. Faggart was driving the No. 51 during Round 3 of the Summer Shootout, the same number that became synonymous with Kyle Busch’s grassroots racing journey and one that has taken on even greater significance since the two-time Cup Series champion’s death in May.

Moments after climbing from the car, an emotional Faggart fought back tears while reflecting on Busch’s influence and the meaning behind putting the No. 51 back in Victory Lane at Charlotte. “You know, Kyle made me a lot better. Well, I don’t mean to be a crybaby, but I guess I am. He was a great guy… We always did contact each other a little bit. We never met each other at all. But I did, when I had the opportunity a few times…he was good guy; he will never be replaced…”

Although they never competed against each other in NASCAR’s national series, Faggart and Busch developed a fierce rivalry in the Masters Division of the Summer Shootout in 2025. Busch won seven races during the season, but Faggart’s consistency helped him secure the championship with 852 points. Their battles became some of the most talked-about moments of the summer, including a Round 3 race in which the two traded the lead multiple times in a three-wide fight for position.

Faggart later acknowledged that Busch’s arrival changed the competitive standard inside the Masters Division. The two-time Cup Series champion won seven races during the 2025 Summer Shootout, but local veterans refused to give him an inch. Busch embraced those battles, once saying grassroots competitors “only cared about beating him to the line,” while praising the division’s aggressive, elbows-out style of racing.

Faggart’s decision to race the No. 51 carried special significance. Busch originally adopted the number in tribute to NASCAR veteran Bobby Hamilton, whose battle with cancer inspired a renumbering effort in the Truck Series that ultimately helped create the “Rowdy” identity that followed Busch throughout his career. The No. 51 later became the flagship number of Kyle Busch Motorsports and one of the most recognizable symbols associated with the two-time Cup Series champion.

Following Busch’s death, Faggart switched from his traditional No. 8 to the No. 51 as a tribute designed to keep his rival’s presence visible around the Charlotte paddock.

Busch’s connection to the Summer Shootout remained evident throughout the 2026 season. During Round 2 on June 9, drivers, crews, and fans gathered for a pre-race tribute honoring the late champion.

The emotional ceremony featured Busch’s father, Tom Busch, driving the No. 51 in a missing-man formation while the rest of the field peeled away. His son, Brexton Busch, served as the honorary starter and waved the green and checkered flags from the flagstand.

“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but sitting in that seat, seeing Brexton up there with the flags… I knew we had to do it for him, for Kyle, and for everyone who loved him,” Tom Busch said after the tribute.

Just one week later, Faggart added another chapter to that tribute. Driving the No. 51, he led from the front for much of Round 3 before delivering the number back to Victory Lane at the same track where Busch had spent the previous summer battling him for wins and championships.

Faggart’s victory wasn’t the only reminder of Busch’s lasting impact on grassroots racing. His son, Brexton Busch, has continued carrying that legacy onto the track as well.

Brexton Busch claims podium with special tribute to Rowdy

Just weeks after returning to competition following his father’s death, Brexton Busch continued to show the resilience that has earned admiration throughout the racing community. Earlier this month, he recorded a sixth-place finish in his first race back before delivering another strong performance in Late Model competition.

Competing at Madera Speedway in just his third Late Model start, Brexton secured a podium finish with a third-place result. His car featured a tribute to his father through the familiar No. 51 branding, continuing a theme that has become increasingly visible throughout the Busch family’s return to racing.

Brexton is expected to return to Charlotte later this summer, the same quarter-mile where his father reignited his love for grassroots racing and built lasting relationships with competitors like Faggart. Weeks after the NASCAR world lost one of its biggest stars, the sight of the No. 51 returning to Victory Lane served as a reminder that Busch’s legacy remains woven into the fabric of the Summer Shootout.