For Richard Childress Racing, the No. 8 has become more than a number on a Chevrolet. It represents a driver who helped shape the organization, a family coping with an enormous loss, and a racing legacy that has not reached its final chapter. As RCR moved through the season without Kyle Busch, one young racer kept that connection visible.
The bond between the team and that racer runs deeper than a familiar number or a tribute at the track. His development has produced significant milestones, while RCR has left open the possibility of another chapter for the No. 8. Austin Dillon sees an opportunity for the organization to become more involved.
“I’d like to see how we can tie ourselves closer to Brexton,” Dillon told Steven Taranto. “That’s a great way for us to help Brexton and the Busch family, the best we can, and see him have a successful racing career and any direction he wants to go. So for me, I’d like to push RCR to kind of figure out how we can work. A deal where Brexton’s part of our family and we continue to help them.”
Dillon’s comments carry weight because of the relationship Kyle Busch built with RCR. Busch joined Childress’ organization in 2023 after 15 seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing, taking over the No. 8 Chevrolet. He won three Cup races in his first season and finished his career with two championships and 63 victories in the series.
Busch died on May 21, 2026, at 41, following complications from severe pneumonia and sepsis. His 234 national-series victories remain a record. At RCR, the No. 8 also carried his personal imprint: Busch helped design its distinctive stylized appearance.
The organization announced the day after his death that it would use the No. 33 in place of the No. 8, reserving the familiar number for Brexton whenever he is ready to race in NASCAR. It did not require him to drive for RCR; it left him the option of carrying the number his father made famous.
At 11, Brexton competes in Legends cars, Bandoleros, and micro sprints on asphalt and dirt. He returned to racing in June in the Young Lions division of the Cook Out Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Driving a neon-green No. 18 Legends car, he started 13th and finished sixth in a 25-lap feature.
In July, he raced at Port City Raceway in Tulsa during the Non-Wing Nationals. In the Restrictor Micro division, Brexton started 14th and drove forward to win the feature. It was his first victory since his father’s death. He later described Kyle as his crew chief, driver coach, and the person he looked up to most.
His appearance at Charlotte in October brought that connection into sharper focus. At Kyle’s Celebration of Life on October 9, Brexton climbed into his father’s No. 8 RCR Chevrolet for a tribute that closed the evening.
He performed a burnout until the rear tires gave way, then climbed onto the roof, accepted the checkered flag from his four-year-old sister Lennix and recreated Kyle’s familiar victory bow. Dillon helped prepare him.
RCR’s connection to Busch has remained visible beyond that tribute. Even after the competition entry became the No. 33, the team kept the No. 8 hauler and associated equipment in their familiar form throughout the season. Fans continued to see Busch’s No. 8 at the track.
Dillon said he had little involvement in the decision, which was made by RCR’s president and his grandfather, Richard Childress. Asked about keeping the hauler and equipment unchanged, he explained why he supported the move.
“I really didn’t have a whole lot of input on that. I think that was something that was done by our president and my grandfather, but I think it was a great decision to keep that the same,” Dillon said. “Let folks that let all everyone out there remember Kyle and see that trailer throughout the year, and they gained a lot. I feel like there’s been a lot of support for our team. The 8 team, RCR, and the fans have really put their arms around us through this time. And yeah, this is the last time you’ll see that 8 Hauler like that.”
The hauler will look different next season, but the No. 8 remains set aside. Brexton’s career is still taking shape, and there is no need to rush a decision about where it will lead.
Dillon wants RCR to have a place in that development without deciding Brexton’s future for him. Supporting Kyle Busch’s son, wherever his racing takes him, would give the organization another way to honor a driver who left an unmistakable mark on its history.