Kyle Busch’s name has been removed from the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series points standings.
The two-time NASCAR Cup champion who died on May 21 was 23rd with 217 points in the standings through 12 races following the May 10 race at Watkins Glen. His eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen was Busch’s best since finishing fifth in the final race of the 2025 season at Phoenix. It was his second top-10 finish in 2026.
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Busch died at 41 while preparing for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, North Carolina. He was spending time in the race simulator when he became ill and was rushed to a hospital. Busch died from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, according to his family.
Busch raced after Watkins Glen on May 17 at the NASCAR All-Star Race in Dover, where he finished 17th, but points are not awarded in All-Star races.
According to Fox Sports, the decision to remove Busch from the official points standings was made after consulting his Richard Childress Racing team. A point of that discussion was the impact of seeing Busch’s name drop in the standings, throughout the season, and the effect that would have on those close to him and race fans.
RCR driver Austin Hill replaced Busch in the No. 33 Chevrolet in the Coca-Cola 600 and will be back in the car for the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on May 31. Busch finished 12th at Nashville in 2025.
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Busch is NASCAR’s winningest driver of all-time across its top three national touring series with 234 combined victories. His 63 wins in the Cup Series rank ninth all-time.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kyle Busch is no longer listed in the NASCAR points standings. Here’s why
