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Samantha Busch, wife of the late NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, remembered her husband in a heartbreaking social media post on Father’s Day – a month after his death.
Busch tragically died aged 41 from severe pneumonia that turned into sepsis last month.
Samantha’s emotional tribute to her late husband came from herself and her two children, 11-year-old son Brexton and four-year-old daughter Lennix.
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Kyle Busch, the driver of the M&M’s No. 18 Toyota, and his wife Samantha Busch stand on the grid during pre-race ceremonies for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on November 2, 2014. (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
“This still doesn’t feel right,” Samantha captioned the post with photos and videos of the family together. “I was up all night thinking about what today must have been like for Kyle and the kids. The Father’s Day cards that were already made were 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.”
Recalling her husband’s parenting skills, Samantha said he “never missed a chance to be silly” while being present for moments when he wanted to “stay up a little longer” to read the kids a bedtime story or simply spend more time together.
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“Nothing made him prouder than being the father of Brexton and Lennix,” she added.
Photos and videos showed the Busch family meeting Kyle after races with loving hugs and smiles, regardless of the outcome on the track. Others were moments away from work, whether it was time on a boat, cozying up on the beach or enjoying moments at home.
Samantha said she would promise to tell Kyle’s stories, of which there are many, and make sure her children always know how much their father loved them.
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Skittles Toyota, stands on the grid with his wife, Samantha, and son, Brexton, before the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, on March 19, 2017. (Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
“Seeing these memories hurts more than I can explain, but they also remind me how lucky we were to have him,” Samantha’s caption 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 ache from missing you, from reaching for someone who isn’t there, from loving someone we can’t take anymore.”
These raw emotions were spilled by Samantha, yet she noted, “Brexton and Lennix will always know how deeply they were loved by their father.”
“Happy Father’s Day,” she captioned the photo. “We love you and miss you more than words can say.”
Busch’s death shocked the racing world, prompting an outpouring of condolences, grief and remembrance for one of the sport’s greatest drivers.
Kyle Busch holds his son Brexton next to his wife Samantha before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., on June 12, 2016. (Kena Krutsinger/Getty Images)
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He was honored at the Coca-Cola 600 shortly after his death on May 21. His parents Tom and Gaye Busch, as well as his older brother, joined Samantha and the kids on the track where Kyle’s memory and everything he poured into NASCAR was honored.
“Kyle Busch is NASCAR,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said at the race. “He was one of a kind and there will never be another.”
