One month after Kyle Busch died, his wife Samantha used Father's Day to share a public tribute to the NASCAR driver, posting photos and videos on social media alongside a message about grief, memory, and their two children.
Busch died at 41 from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. He left behind Samantha, their 11-year-old son Brexton, and their four-year-old daughter Lennix.
"This still doesn't feel real at all," Samantha wrote in her caption. "I was up all night thinking about what today should have looked like for Kyle and the kids. The Father's Day cards that were already made, sitting in a drawer with no one to give them to. Trying to figure out how to navigate a day that should be filled with so much joy for them."
According to Fox News, the photos and videos showed the Busch family greeting Kyle after races with embraces and smiles, as well as moments away from the track, including time on a boat, at the beach, and at home.
Samantha described her husband as a father who never missed a chance to be silly and would stay up later to read bedtime stories or simply spend more time with his children. She wrote that nothing made him prouder than being Brexton and Lennix's dad.
"Watching these memories hurts more than I can explain, but they also remind me how lucky we were to have him," she continued. "Kyle, the kids and I miss you every second of every day. Our hearts ache for you, but it's more than that. Your absence is something we physically feel. Our bodies hurt from missing you, from reaching for someone who isn't there, from loving someone we can't hold anymore."
Busch's death on May 21 shocked the NASCAR community. He was honored at the Coca-Cola 600 shortly after he died. His parents Tom and Gaye Busch, along with his older brother, joined Samantha and the children on the track for a tribute.
NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell spoke at the race. "Kyle Busch is NASCAR," O'Donnell said. "He was one-of-a-kind, and there will never be another."
Samantha ended her Father's Day post with a promise to tell Kyle's stories and make sure their children always know how much their father loved them. "Happy Father's Day," she wrote. "We love you and miss you more than words can say."
