Samantha Busch announced the death of her grandfather, which comes less than two months after the sudden death of her husband, NASCAR legend Kyle Busch.
“Bye Nonno,” Samantha, 40, wrote via her Instagram Story on Thursday, July 16. “I hope you and Kyle are drinking Italian wine together and heaven and pretending either of you can understand one another just like the very first Christmas you all met.”
In a separate post, Samantha shared a recent photo of her grandfather and the two kids she shares with her late husband: son Brexton, 11, and daughter Lennix, 4.
“And that Nonnie is making you guys pasta and her famous sauce,” she wrote.
Kyle died at the age of 41 on May 21, after being found unconscious in a racing simulator. A death certificate exclusively obtained by Us Weekly revealed that Kyle had pneumonia for “days or weeks” before it progressed into sepsis.
Earlier this week, Samantha thanked the racing community for their support since Kyle’s death.
“As another race day approaches I’m reminded again how much it hurts that we’re not there cheering on Kyle,” she shared via Instagram. “It still feels surreal watching from the couch and I still catch myself looking for his name on the leaderboard. At the same time, I’m filled with gratitude.”
She added, “To the NASCAR community and every single fan, thank you. Over the past weeks you’ve surrounded Brexton, Lennix and me in ways I will never be able to fully put into words. You have honored Kyle’s life and legacy, shared your memories, prayed for us, cried with us and reminded us just how deeply he was loved.”
Samantha specifically acknowledged the community of NASCAR wives who have stepped up to the plate.
“Thank you for showing up with meals when I couldn’t think about cooking, for the texts that reminded me I wasn’t alone, for continuing to love on us in the midst of your busy lives,” she wrote. “You didn’t just love on me, you loved on our children.”
Samantha continued, “Behind the scenes, our family and closest friends carried me through moments I honestly don’t know how I would have survived. They stepped in when I physically and emotionally couldn’t, sat with me in the silence, loved our children like their own, and reminded me over and over that I didn’t have to walk this road alone.”
Samantha concluded her post with a message for racing fans, who she said have supported the Busches “through every high and every low over the years.”
“Your prayers, stories and unwavering support have always meant so much to us,” she added. “For nearly twenty years NASCAR has been our home and these past several weeks have reminded me that NASCAR isn’t just a sport, it truly is a family.”
