Editor's note: The contents of this article, including the title and the body, have been modified from their original state to reflect Kyle Busch's tragic passing.
This whole situation is obviously about far more than racing, and to the extent of racing itself, it almost feels insensitive to even think about the Coca-Cola 600 right now.
With that being said, we do not currently want to speculate on what the team might or might not do moving forward. We can only operate based on what we know, and the Coca-Cola 600 has been confirmed by NASCAR officials to be moving forward.
Kyle Busch was initially ruled out of Sunday evening's Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, after the driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was hospitalized due to a severe illness.
Hours later, it was announced that Busch had tragically passed away at the age of 41.
A joint statement was shared on behalf of the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing, and NASCAR on Thursday night.
A joint statement on behalf of the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR. pic.twitter.com/7fYGjIqxoJ
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 21, 2026
Richard Childress Racing Coca-Cola 600 lineup
Prior to the announcement of Busch's passing, Richard Childress Racing had named Austin Hill, who competes for the team full-time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, as the driver of the No. 8 car for Sunday night's 400-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Concord, North Carolina oval.
Kyle Busch’s health is our upmost priority and he and his family have the full resources of RCR behind them. Kyle is an integral part of our organization and we wish him a safe and speedy recovery. His No. 8 Chevrolet will be ready and waiting for him. We’re thankful to Austin…
— RCR (@RCRracing) May 21, 2026
Based strictly on what we know now, Hill remains in line to drive the No. 8 car on Sunday night. That could obviously still change at any time, and we would understand whatever decision is made by the team.
Richard Childress Racing had initially been planning on fielding three cars in the Coke 600 by adding the No. 33 Chevrolet for their other O'Reilly Series driver, Jesse Love, but they opted against doing so earlier this week. Hill ran that car twice earlier this season in March, first at Phoenix Raceway and then at Martinsville Speedway.
This decision was made earlier in the week, before the entry list came out, and before Busch's health unexpectedly became a factor.
Similarly, Spire Motorsports had announced Corey Day as Busch's replacement for Friday's Truck Series race before the tragic news broke on Thursday night. As far as we know, Day remains in line to the drive the No. 7 Chevrolet as well, with the Truck Series race also set to go on as planned.
Above all else, our thoughts and prayers remain with Busch's friends and family as they navigate this unspeakable tragedy.
Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 is the first of five NASCAR Cup Series races set to be shown live on Amazon Prime Video this season. That live coverage from Charlotte Motor Speedway is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. ET.
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