The NASCAR fans continue to grieve the loss of the winningest driver in the sport, Kyle Busch. A week after Busch passed away on May 21, NASCAR has now made a move that has left many fans divided into two groups. 

Busch passed away after he was hospitalized for ‘severe illness’. On Saturday, the family revealed the cause as ‘pneumonia progressed into sepsis.’ However, what has now shocked the sport is the decision taken by NASCAR about Busch's appearance in the points table.

The FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass reported via his social media account that Steve O'Donnell and NASCAR have decided to take the late Kyle Busch out of the points standings.  

“NASCAR has removed Kyle Busch from its point standings, a decision made following conversations with RCR about how to handle Busch's death and being empathetic of the impact to those who would see his name in the standings," Pockrass reported.

Before being removed from NASCAR’s website, Busch was in 27th place with 217 points. His last race in the Cup Series was the All-Star race at Dover, where he started the race in 23rd and finished in 17th place, but was not awarded any points because the All-Star is a non-point race. 

The late two-time champion over his career had accumulated 234 points across all divisions of the sport and holds the record for 19 consecutive seasons with one with atleast one win. 

NASCAR’s decision to remove Busch from the standings has left the fans divided. 

Fans Split Over Nascar’s Decision to Remove Kyle Busch From the Points Standings

After the news broke out about NASCAR’s decision, the fans shared their opinions about the same under Prockrass’s X post. 

One fan wrote, “Right decision.. Seeing his name pop up every week and continue to fall in the standings has absolutely no benefit to anyone.” The fan is expressing that it would feel painful for fans to keep watching his ranking drop week after week when he is no longer competing.

While another fan supported the decision, they also hoped that it was made after consulting the Busch family. “I think what matters most here is that it sounds like the decision was made with input from RCR, and I would presume that RCR advocated for what Kyle’s family wanted,” read the comment.

A fan wrote, “I made sure to screenshot the standings last night.” That's how a fan expressed emotional attachment to seeing the driver’s name still included on the leaderboard.

Yet another wrote, “Tough situation for all involved ofc. Do the owners points continue with the 33 or are they reset with the number change?” The fan asked whether the team’s owner points stay intact despite the car number changing.

Another fan disagreed with the decision. “i'm sorry this is just not right. Kyle earned those points and should be included in the final tally. Dale Sr was included in the 01 standings and Leffler was included in the 13 standings. Same with every other driver who died mid season,” read the comment.

The fan sees the standings not just as a current competition, but also as a record of what a driver accomplished before their passing.

Do you agree or disagree with removing Kyle Busch from the points standings? Let us know in the comments below. 

Read more at Daytona Racing Digest.

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar