Kevin Harvick Commends Family of Kyle Busch for Attending Coca-Cola 600

In his NASCAR career, Kevin Harvick is no stranger to tragedy. His time in the Cup Series started earlier than planned after the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. Now, as a broadcaster, he's seeing many similarities following the death of Kyle Busch.

Like everyone else who watched the pre-race ceremonies, Kevin Harvick felt the Busch family being there was a powerful moment. Samantha, Brexton, Lennix, Tom and Gaye, and of course, Kurt Busch were all in attendance.

The NASCAR garage surrounded the Busch family on pit road as the NASCAR world paid its respects. Harvick was particularly touched by the moment.

"Well, it's a tough situation as to what the right or wrong thing is to do," Harvick said in a special edition of his podcast on Memorial Day. "And I think in that instance, you obviously want to lean on the family to do what they want to do. And you know, I think seeing Brexton and Lennix and Samantha and Kyle's parents and his brother Kurt at the racetrack and you know, I think everybody there wants to help them, uh, whether it's the wives, husbands, kids, team owners, everybody wants to help their family get through this as good as they can.

"There's no easy way to get through it. And I think that when you look back and you see that support standing behind you, uh as they gathered around Kyle's number with Steve O'Donnell addressing, you know, the fans and the family and seeing Richard Childress stand there, um you know, it's not easy. It is not an easy situation to have to go through."

The NASCAR world has been in mourning for almost a week since the death of Kyle Busch on May 21. Seemingly every fan, driver, and crew member has a special story about Rowdy. Whether they hated him or were a fan of him, he made the sport exciting and worth watching. Not just on Sunday, but on Friday and Saturday night as well.

Kevin Harvick has unfortunately seen a beloved driver at Richard Childress Racing die far too soon. It is a reminder of how fragile life can be.

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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 1:50 PM.