Kyle Busch’s iconic No. 18 will be on the track at the 2026 INDY 500.
Romain Grosjean will be driving his usual No. 18 car in the INDY 500, but it will have a different look. The No. 18 font will be that which Busch used for 15 years in NASCAR.
The idea came from FOX Sports commentator Townsend Bell. From there, Joe Gibbs Racing helped finish the job to make it happen.
Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 63-time winner, passed away suddenly on Thursday. His loss was felt in Charlotte, where the Coca-Cola 600 will take place on Sunday, as well as in Indianapolis, where drivers paid tribute to the extremely competitive Busch.
“He was an extreme racer, one of the best you’d ever see on track, and I’m just speaking about his skill set,” two-time INDY 500 winner Josef Newgarden told reporters on Friday. “I’m sure that the toughest part about it is just what he leaves behind with his kids and what they have to go through.
Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was in Indianapolis in the week leading up to the race and paid tribute to Busch, as well.
“The bravery, just natural skill, and then being able to tie that all back to the engineering process and communicating what he’s feeling, and expanding on that, and understanding cars, and the build [of the cars],” Johnson told our Bob Pockrass and another reporter. “Technically, in [knowing] the build of a car, he’s one of the best. He had that old school know-how and understanding, but could relate to the engineers — which is very special on its own.
“And then he had all this bravery and skill to match it up.”
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