Fans remember late Kyle Busch during Coca-Cola 600

CONCORD, N.C. — Outside Charlotte Motor Speedway, fans have been gathering for days to honor Kyle Busch.

Channel 9’s Glenn Counts spoke to fans Sunday in the leadup to the Coca-Cola 600.

The emotional buildup was missing for this year’s race weekend because everybody was thinking about the driver who wasn’t there.

“This is my generation’s Dale Earnhardt and it kind of feels the same. It doesn’t feel real yet,” said Nick Vredenburg. He has been a fan of Busch since he was a kid. He has bought thousands of dollars worth of Busch merchandise.

“To be honest with you, if I would not have bought these camp spots, I would have not come to this race,” Vredenburg said. “I just, it’s not the same.”

After such an emotionally devastating week, the race is a welcomed distraction to some fans.

“I think we need this,” said Bob Wagner, another fan. “His fans, especially the campers here that got here early, we’ve been sitting in the rain for three or four days, got to see barely any racing at all, so we are looking to get in there and get this going.”

“I would say there is absolutely a somber cloud across the crowd, definitely a dampened sense of community,” said Anna Grace Somers, a fan.

Busch was one of the winningest drivers in NASCAR history and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Even though his fans will never get to see him race again, they will always remember Sunday night.

“Kyle would have wanted the weekend to go on and everybody to race and still have the event,” said fan Bob Huntzinger.

A lot of fans showed up even though they knew coming to the race would be an emotional lift. They are hoping that it starts the healing process.

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