Eleven-year-old Brexton Busch captured his first victory since the passing of his father, NASCAR legend Kyle Busch, after charging from 14th place in the Restricted Micro Sprint A-Main at Port City Raceway in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on July 18, 2026.
Driving his late father's green No. 18 car, the young racer competed in multiple divisions at the venue before performing Kyle Busch's signature bow celebration following the triumph.
"I don’t like to talk about it much, but the last two months have been really tough.
I’m missing my crew chief, my driver coach, my dad, the guy who I looked up to more than anyone," wrote Brexton Busch on his social media accounts after the race.
His mother, Samantha Busch, shared her emotional response to the milestone on social media, expressing the conflicting feelings brought on by the victory.
"First win since losing Kyle.
I’ve never felt so proud and so heartbroken at the same time," wrote Samantha on Instagram after Brexton’s win.
Samantha Busch added that her son's persistence on the track continues to inspire her following the family's loss.
"Brexton continues to amaze me with his determination, his resilience, the way he keeps showing up to do what he loves even while carrying so much at such a young age," wrote Samantha Busch.
She also recalled conversations with her late husband regarding their busy schedule attending youth racing events.
"I used to tell Kyle during all the late nights, road trips and chaos of long weekends at the track that one day when we were 80 we’d look back and say, 'Those were the best days of our lives,'" she recalled.
Reflecting on those memories, Samantha noted that those moments were indeed the most cherished time for their family.
"I knew then and I know even more now, they really were. Congratulations, buddy.
Dad would’ve been so, so proud," wrote Samantha Busch.
Sports analyst Pat McAfee highlighted the victory on his digital show, voicing encouragement for the young competitor.
"Brexton wins his first race. Hey, as us being former friends and friends of your father, Brexton, let’s go, boy.
Hell yeah, Brexton. Let’s go, boy.
Let’s go win this thing," McAfee said on his Pat McAfee Show on X.
Former NASCAR driver Kyle Busch passed away at age 41 on May 21, 2026, after bacterial pneumonia progressed into sepsis.
He is survived by his wife Samantha, his son Brexton, and his young daughter, Leni.
Following his dad's death, Brexton Busch returned to competition in early June at Charlotte for the Cook Out Summer Shootout, finishing sixth in the Young Lions Legends division, and later placed 9th after starting 18th in a Jr. Late Model event for Wilson Motorsports.
Days after his win in Oklahoma, Brexton experienced a multi-vehicle collision during the Cook Out Summer Shootout on July 21, requiring safety personnel to extract him from his car.
"It was dead silent while they were getting Brexton out of the car," wrote an attendee in the comments section of a video posted on the Floracing Instagram account.
Despite the severe impact, Samantha Busch confirmed her son escaped injury and was cleared to return to dirt racing the following evening.
"Brex ended up wrecking out after a hard hit last night but thankfully he’s all good today," Samantha wrote in her Instagram Stories.
She noted that her son insisted on competing without taking a rest day.
"He will be back on dirt tonight.
Tried to tell him to take the day off and rest to which I got an 🙄," wrote Samantha Busch.
