As NASCAR paused the Coca-Cola 600 to honor the late Kyle Busch, Samantha Busch did her best not to fall apart. With an arm around son Brexton and daughter Lennix standing nearby, she stood quietly through the tribute as nearly 95,000 fans joined her in mourning. She was silent then, but now she has finally found the words to express what that moment meant. And the first thing she did was offer her thanks.

“As a family, we wanted to take a moment to say thank you.” Samantha wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post on Friday. “The prayers, messages, flowers, meals, hugs, and countless acts of kindness have carried us through the most heartbreaking days of our lives.”

She even added a photo along with the caption which showed Kyle piggybacking Brexton while Lennix sat in her mother’s arms. A snapshot of their family at happier times.

“While our hearts are absolutely shattered, we have felt God’s presence and arms wrapped tightly around us through each and every one of you,” she continued. “There are moments when the weight of this loss feels impossible to carry, yet time and time again God, through you all, has shown us we are not alone.”

For the first time since Kyle Busch’s death at the age of 41 from complications related to bacterial pneumonia and sepsis, Samantha has publicly opened up about what the family has been enduring behind the scenes. More than anything, her message shows how much of a support the NASCAR community has shown them. And they actually have been like a true family to them. No one left any stones unturned to honor Kyle Busch.

At the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell addressed Samantha, Brexton, Lennix, and the Busch family directly. Then a missing-man formation of drivers was rolled. On Lap 8, spectators raised eight fingers. Richard Childress also went above and beyond and announced that the No. 8 will be held until Brexton is mature enough to follow his own route.

However, what was most emotional was that the most tear-jerking tributes came from the people Kyle Busch competed against, his rivals on the track.

Kyle Larson changed his car name rail to ‘Little Kyle.’ It was the nickname Kyle Busch had given him, in reference to the difference in stature of the two Kyles. Bubba Wallace also quietly kneeled beside a painted No. 8 tribute at Charlotte and later posted on social media a heartfelt message for Kyle.

Then, there was Daniel Suarez, who was eventually declared the winner of the Coca-Cola 600. He proceeded to dedicate his win to Kyle and, in a post-race interview, thanked him for being the support system when he had just arrived in the US, unfamiliar with the country and even the English language.

“This one has a special flavor because of Kyle. This one is for him. If it wasn’t for Kyle, I wasn’t going to be an Xfinity champion. I wasn’t going to have my shot in the Cup series, and to be able to win this race for him is unbelievable,” he said.

Ross Chastain and Layne Riggs, too, honored him through victory celebrations, and teammate-turned-rival Denny Hamlin rightfully called Kyle Busch a “once in a generational” driver. Then, there were the fans.

Thousands of fans made memorial contributions of exactly $18.08 or $180. This was a direct homage to the car numbers Busch wore during his storied racing career (the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet). Countless others sent flowers, meals, and carried out other selfless acts of kindness in remembrance of Kyle Busch. However this outpouring of support did not happen by accident to the Busch family.

For years, Kyle and Samatha Busch have allowed fans into some of the most personal chapters of their lives. Their fertility struggles became public years ago as they documented IVF treatments, heartbreak, setbacks, and eventually parenthood. Fans went through the same emotions as they did during that journey. And eventually their experience led them to help the community too.

Samantha and Kyle Busch eventually launched the Bundle of Joy Fund to help families like theirs struggling with infertility get access to treatment and financial support. The foundation partners primarily with fertility clinics and offers eligible couples up to $20,000 per family to cover active treatments. Till date, the organization has awarded 178 grants totaling over $2.3 million and assisted in the birth of 111 children through IVF.

In many ways, NASCAR fans had spent years sharing in the Busch family’s highs and lows. So when Samantha found herself facing the most difficult chapter of all, support came naturally. Plus, she more than ever needed this support because not only was she was dealing with a lot more than the death of her husband.

In the aftermath of Kyle Busch’s death, online conspiracy theories surfaced attempting to connect his passing to a legal dispute he and Samantha had previously settled with Pacific Life Insurance Company. Their family attorney, Robert Rikard, had to publicly come out and push back against those claims.

“Some on this platform, in the media, and elsewhere are pushing a false narrative about the Busch IUL matter,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.

For a family that’s grieving it wouldn’t have been easy. However amid all that noise, the one thing that remained constant was the support surrounding the family. And that is what Samantha’s message kept returning to.

“The love that has surrounded our family during this unimaginable time has brought comfort in the middle of so much pain,” she wrote. And as she closed her message, Samantha kept it simple.

“Thank you for loving Kyle. Thank you for honoring him.”