Multiple teams competing in the Indianapolis 500 are using the prestigious race as a way to honor Kyle Busch, who passed away on May 21 at the age of 41.
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Dale Coyne Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing, in particular, will both change their number fonts to match those that Busch ran during his Hall of Fame career.
Dale Coyne Racing will change the font on Romain Grosjean's No. 18 Honda so that it matches the font Busch used at Joe Gibbs Racing for 15 years.
Racing fans became quite familiar with this stylized No. 18 as Busch put it in victory lane 56 times and won two championships with it.
Remembering Kyle Busch on Indy 500 morning. pic.twitter.com/SIueT0WKin
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 24, 2026
Chip Ganassi Racing will make some changes to the signage it uses at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team will have the stylized No. 8 on these signs, which will match the font Busch used at Richard Childress Racing.
Busch took over the No. 8 Chevrolet at the start of the 2023 season, and he helped the team come up with this new stylized font. He then parked it in victory lane three times.
The tributes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are not limited to the number changes. Tony Stewart is wearing a pin in Busch's honor during the Fox pre-race show, as is pit reporter Jamie Little.
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, who also competed in IndyCar for multiple seasons, explained one of the connections between Busch and the open wheel racing series.
"I was in this paddock for a few years," Johnson said during the Indy 500 pre-race show. "And I was so surprised how many in this paddock paid attention to NASCAR, and coming back here a couple of days ago and seeing folks after the announcement about Kyle's passing.
"To see the love and respect from this garage — this paddock, as they call it — the community of motorsport, it is always impressive. And to see everybody rallying and sharing their concerns at this time has been quite impressive."
Another connection exists. Busch had attempted to put together a deal so that he could run The Double — the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. This deal ultimately fell apart as Kyle Larson took the spot.
