Ryan Blaney sees a bit of his childhood in Brexton Busch. He once spoke about how he grew up watching and idolizing his father, Dave Blaney, compete in the Cup Series. Brexton did the same with the late, great Kyle Busch. Now, at Iowa Speedway, the pole-sitter for the Iowa Corn 350 has something special planned to pay tribute to the two-time Cup Series champion and show his respect for the entire Busch family.
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Blaney, on Saturday, wore a helmet dedicated to Busch as he put a lap time of 23.474 seconds, the fastest of the day. Ahead of the race on Sunday, he revealed that he would hand this special helmet over to Brexton after the checkered flag.
“My thought when Kyle passed was – I’ve always thought in situations like that, how do you remember somebody and how do you think of all the good that they did in their life and all the success they had,” Blaney said to Matt Weaver during his media availability at the Iowa Speedway on Sunday.
He said something all drivers across different motorsports disciplines would agree on: helmets are deeply personal and can often be shared with others as a sign of the ultimate respect. And on the helmet that Blaney wore on Saturday and will once again put on before starting his engine on Sunday, he paid homage to some of Kyle’s best races and overall moments.
It includes his Bristol sweep weekends. In 2010 and 2017, then driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Cup Series, Kyle won the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series races at the track, all in the same weekend. Blaney also decided to include both of Kyle’s championships at the highest level, as well as his Busch Series win, 100th Xfinity win, 200th NASCAR win, and his Brickyard victory.
It captured the attention of the NASCAR communtiy on Saturday, and after praising his painter for doing a fine job on it, the Team Penske driver, who’s 3rd in the standings 120 points behind leader Denny Hamlin, said he would give it to the Busch family.
“I hope to run it for one race and give it to Brexton, the Busch family, and they can do whatever they want with it. So just showing respect, and I’m glad people noticed it,” Blaney added.
Kyle Busch’s sudden death from pneumonia on May 21 this year shocked the NASCAR community, including the drivers who spent years battling him on the track and laughing with him off it.
Blaney, too, almost in tears, revealed a story about one of his favorite Busch moments just days after the tragedy at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Blaney recalled running into Kyle and his wife, Samantha, at a hotel before a race in 2016. The night before a media obligation, they decided to go drinking. Kyle went missing the next morning, only for Blaney and the others to find him under a table, with a tablecloth covering him and his iconic yellow M&M’s suit.
Blnaey now joins other NASCAR drivers who have honored Kyle in their own way earlier this season. Daniel Suárez, after winning the Coca-Cola 600, waved a Rowdy Nation flag, while Chase Elliott wore a Brexton Busch T-shirt to support the late legend’s son.
Blaney’s gesture adds another personal tribute to Kyle’s legacy. By wearing the helmet and handing it to Brexton after the race, Blaney is making sure Kyle’s memory stays close to the family and the NASCAR garage.