NASCAR fans paid a poignant final tribute to the late Kyle Busch during Sunday's Cup Series Championship Race.

The NASCAR world was stunned on May 21 when Busch's family revealed that the two-time Cup Series champion had passed away at the age of 41. It was subsequently confirmed that his death was caused by pneumonia that had developed into sepsis.

Following Busch's unexpected death, condolences flooded in from across the motorsports community, while his widow, Samantha Busch, launched an initiative to preserve her husband's legacy. Throughout the 2026 Cup Series campaign, NASCAR supporters honored the two-time Cup Series champion with the Lap 8 salute, during which race attendees raised eight fingers in the air as the broadcast observed a moment of silence.

Patrons carried on the tradition one last time at Homestead-Miami Speedway, remembering Busch during the season's final race.

While the Lap 8 salute may be retiring with the 2026 Cup Series season, Busch's memory will continue to be felt for years to come. According to Sports Business Journal's Adam Stern, Richard Childress Racing plans to keep selling his merchandise next year through an agreement with the Busch family.

"We want to make sure we maintain his legacy out there and make sure we are working very closely with Samantha and the team over there to see what that looks like for next year, so that he is still available and visible to the fans," Richard Childress Racing CMO Jennifer White told the outlet.

Last month, NASCAR held the Celebration of Life for Kyle Busch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where family, friends and fans gathered to honor the Las Vegas, Nevada native. Joe Gibbs, Austin Dillon and Samantha delivered powerful speeches during the memorial ceremony, while Daniel Suarez, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Noah Gragson and Kurt Busch also fielded questions during individual pressers.

Once the hour of remembrance concluded, Samantha announced that Busch's son, Brexton, would perform a burnout while behind the wheel of his father's No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

After speeding down the front stretch and smoking the tires, Brexton received the checkered flag from his sister, Lennix, before climbing onto the hood of the car and bowing to the crowd - an ode to Busch's signature bow celebration.

Reflecting on Busch's rollercoaster NASCAR career, Samantha told the crowd: "I keep thinking how lucky I was to know every single version of him: the young racer who took me around Indianapolis Motor Speedway when I was just 21 years old - and little did we know it [was] the ride of our lifetime.

"The fierce competitor who basically thought second was last and who threw our kids ridiculously high in the air, a tradition that they loved and I feared every single time. The team owner who gave others a chance. Rowdy, who loved his fans more than anything - and of course stirring up things. And the dad who found so much joy and pride in his children."