US3 min(s) read
Published 16:04 27 May 2026 GMT
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has revealed the emotional final text conversation he shared with late NASCAR driver Kyle Busch just hours before Busch’s death at the age of 41.
Speaking on the May 26 episode of his podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt Jr. explained that the pair had been making plans to race together again through the CARS Tour series.
“I was texting with him the day before he passed away about getting together this Thursday to bring his seat for his late model over to my shop,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
“We had agreed that he was going to race our car in the CARS Tour.”
The CARS Tour is a stock car racing series featuring late model race cars, and the two drivers had reportedly been discussing what number and design Busch would use for the event.
“He’s texting me, and he’s like, ‘What scheme we going to run?’” Earnhardt Jr. recalled.
“I was like, ‘You can run any scheme you want.’ I was like, ‘What number do you want to run?’”
According to Earnhardt Jr., Busch’s response carried special meaning.
“He said it, literally, ‘The Dale Jr. 8.’ I was like, ‘You got it.’”
The retired NASCAR star explained that Busch then sent an exploding head emoji, joking that fans would lose their minds seeing him race the iconic No. 8 car once again, the same number Earnhardt Jr. famously drove between 1999 and 2007 with Budweiser sponsorship.
During the podcast, Earnhardt Jr. became visibly emotional while speaking about Busch’s death, admitting it has been difficult to process.
“What I’ve enjoyed, I guess, is learning more about Kyle the person,” he said.
“We know who he is on the race track, we know how he is on the race track and in the media, and so forth.
“What he was like at the track with the suit on and in that environment. I knew him on a personal level.”
He added that hearing stories from others about Busch’s private personality has helped paint a fuller picture of the man behind the racing persona.
“Hearing how he interacted and how he was to others, the joke they may have shared in a text … I’ve really enjoyed learning who he was away from the track and how he interacted and engaged, or treated, or talked to other people.”
News first emerged on May 21 that Busch had been hospitalized with what was described as a “severe illness.” Hours later, NASCAR confirmed the driver had died.
It was later revealed that Busch died from pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, causing “rapid and overwhelming associated complications.”
Following the news, Earnhardt Jr. paid tribute to his longtime rival and friend in a lengthy statement he shared on X.
“Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years,” he wrote.
“But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing team.
“I was super eager for us to get on better terms,” Earnhardt Jr. continued. “But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible.”
He also described Busch as “one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history.”
