NASCAR has made the decision to remove two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch from the 2026 Cup Series point standings, less than a week after he passed away at the age of 41 due to severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.
Busch was tied for 23rd in the point standings with two top 10 finishes, both in his final three starts, when it was announced that he had been hospitalized with a severe illness and would not compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Richard Childress Racing O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Austin Hill was tabbed as Busch's replacement, and those plans did not change after the announcement of Busch's passing. The only thing that changed was Busch's No. 8, which is now No. 33. Richard Childress Racing have reserved the No. 8 for Busch's 11-year-old son Brexton.
After further discussions, NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing have agreed that it is best to remove Busch from the point standings entirely.
Kyle Busch removed from NASCAR standings
The decision was made out of respect for Busch and out of respect for those who may look at the standings and be emotionally impacted by seeing his name or seeing him continue to drop down the order.
NASCAR has removed Kyle Busch from its point standings, a decision made following conversations with RCR about how to handle Busch's death and being empathetic of the impact to those who would see his name in the standings.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 27, 2026
At the end of the day, it's hard to argue with the decision. Busch scored 217 points this season, which is currently good for 27th of the 36 drivers who started the season competing full-time, but at the end of the day, that's the last thing on anybody's mind.
Of course, by that same logic, leaving him in would not have hurt or changed anything either, and one could argue that that decision also could have been one made out of respect. One could also argue that it's best not to effectively erase what he did manage to achieve this season.
There was really no wrong decision here, and NASCAR clearly made the decision they made for the right reasons.
Busch's passing was the first by an active full-time Cup Series driver since Dale Earnhardt was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500.
While Hill hasn't been confirmed as the full-time driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet moving forward, he is set to be back in the car again this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway. The Cracker Barrel 400 is set to be shown live on Amazon Prime Video beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, May 31.
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