Kenny Wallace reacted to Samantha Busch’s emotional message this week, as the NASCAR community continues to process the loss of Kyle Busch. Speaking on his Coffee with Kenny show, the former driver reflected on Samantha’s promise to carry forward her husband’s legacy, admiring her strength and authenticity.
Kyle Busch’s sudden death on May 22 at the age of 41, due to complications from pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, left a void across NASCAR. In the weeks since, tributes have continued to pour in from drivers, teams, and fans. Samantha Busch’s recent Instagram post was one of the most heartfelt yet, showing how the family is coping.
Thanks for the submission!
Kenny Wallace focused on the last line from that message, “So, we race on,” explaining how it captured the Kyle Busch family’s decision to continue racing.
“At the very end, it just touched me so incredibly,” Kenny Wallace said (4:35 onwards). “She said, and so we race on. Samantha, I want to let you know that I love you. And honey, you are a strong lady. And I want to brag on you a little bit.”
Wallace then shared a personal anecdote involving his daughter, Brooke:
“My oldest daughter, Brooke, she doesn’t say much. And she doesn’t brag on people very much. But about four or five years ago, my daughter Brooke said, ‘Dad, that Samantha Busch, she is the real deal.’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s odd for you just to bring that up out of nowhere.’ She told me, ‘Yeah, Dad. I follow her on Instagram. She works out, she’s toned, and she’s the real deal. Like, when she does all that stuff on social media, she’s really doing it.’ I thought that was really nice of my daughter, and it always stuck with me.”
Beyond social media, Samantha Busch’s impact has extended into advocacy and business. In 2015, she and Kyle Busch founded the Bundle of Joy Fund, a nonprofit focused on helping families afford fertility treatments. The initiative has awarded over 178 grants worth $2.3 million, supporting over 100 births.
Samantha has also been vocal about her own journey with infertility, raising awareness around IVF, surrogacy, and access to care. Her work brought her to the White House last year, where she advocated for broader fertility support policies. Alongside that, she runs her own lifestyle brand and also hosts a podcast.
“Actually, I did tell Samantha that. But I just want to let you all know that Samantha is the real deal. She’s a wonderful lady,” Kenny Wallace added (5:38 onwards). “When she said we race on, I get it. That’s where they feel closest to Kyle. Imagine losing your husband or wife and then walking away from everything you built together. That’s hard.”
Samantha Busch had already shown that resolve during the Coca-Cola 600 remembrance ceremony at Charlotte, where she appeared alongside the Busch family for the pre-race tribute. In the weeks since, she has continued to support Brexton, who returned to racing at the Cook Out Summer Shootout, in the Young Lions division in 2026.
Kenny Wallace explains why Samantha Busch’s decision to ‘race on’ reflects the reality of Kyle Busch’s loss
Kenny Wallace also discussed the broader shock that still surrounds Kyle Busch’s death. Kyle won the Truck race at Dover on Friday (May 15), was 17th in the Dover All-star race on the following Sunday, went to the Mario Andretti Karting facility opening on Tuesday, and then passed within hours of hospitalization on Thursday, which has made it difficult for many in the garage to process.
Speaking on the same episode, Kenny Wallace explained why Samantha Busch is continuing Brexton’s racing journey.
“Something happened yesterday that hurt my heart,” he said (3:34 onwards). “Samantha Busch… put out a really nice statement yesterday… Basically she said, ‘we feel closest to Kyle at the racetrack because that’s what we did for nearly 20 years.’ That’s why they keep racing with Brexton.”
“This is what we do. We race,” Wallace continued. “When you lose a loved one, it’s not our job to tell that person what to do. But when Samantha said we race on, I totally get it. When you’ve got Brexton and the world behind you, it’s the thing to do.”
Kenny Wallace compared it to a personal conversation with his own wife, underscoring how difficult it is to imagine that kind of loss.
“Kim (Wallace) said, ‘If you ever pass away, you might as well lock me up.’ So I can only imagine what Samantha’s going through,” he said.
As the Samantha Busch family continues to navigate this period, Brexton Busch’s return to the track has become a central part of that process. At the Cook Out Summer Shootout, he opened the season with a sixth-place finish on Day 1 after climbing through the field in changing conditions. On Day 2, he came close to victory before finishing second after being passed on the final lap.
Edited by Anurup Chakraborty