​Kyle Busch’s remarkable record includes 234 combined victories across NASCAR’s three major national touring series, with 69 of those wins coming in the Craftsman Truck Series. His most recent triumphs came driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, part of an eight-race deal that Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, was set to contest during the 2026 Truck Series season. After his sudden passing on May 21 at age 41, Spire had to search for replacement drivers to complete the No. 7 schedule. On Wednesday, July 8, Spire announced that Chase Elliott would pilot the truck Busch last won in for the FaithFest 250 at North Wilkesboro on July 18.
For Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, this marks his first Truck Series start since 2023, when he finished 10th at Daytona. Although Elliott has never competed full-time in trucks, he has claimed three wins in 18 starts and holds an average finishing position of 7.7 in the series. This weekend will be a triple-duty affair for Elliott: he will race the Spire Truck in the Truck Series, pilot the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series, and compete in Friday night’s zMAX CARS Tour event at North Wilkesboro, a late-model stock car series co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Justin Marks. Elliott will also drive the No. 8 car for JR Motorsports in that tour’s event. North Wilkesboro’s Cup Series race this season represents the venue’s first top-level points event since 1996.
North Wilkesboro was slated to host Busch’s seventh Truck Series race in 2026. He had already completed four of the eight races on Spire’s schedule, earning wins at Atlanta and Dover. His Dover triumph occurred just six days before his passing, a loss that sent shockwaves through the NASCAR community. The death certificate lists hemorrhagic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation as contributing factors, with sepsis having affected him for at least a day and complications from presumed bacterial pneumonia described as lasting for days to weeks.
In the wake of Busch’s death, drivers Corey Day and Rajah Caruth filled in for the No. 7 truck. Day crashed out at Charlotte, while Caruth finished second at Nashville. The remaining Truck Series race on Busch’s schedule is scheduled for August 14 at Richmond, though Spire has not yet announced a driver for that event. Spire’s ties to Busch run deep: the team operates from the former Kyle Busch Motorsports facility, and co-owner Jeff Dickerson served as Busch’s spotter and early-career agent. This connection underscores the lasting impact Busch had on Spire and the broader NASCAR community as they navigate the 2026 season and beyond.