MOORESVILLE, N.C. – (May 22, 2026) – The following is a statement from Spire Motorsports Co-Owner Jeff Dickerson following the tragic passing of two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion and 69-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race winner Kyle Busch.
“It is difficult to put into words what Kyle has meant to me and my family over the last 21 years, and how much my life has been shaped by the moments, both good and bad, we shared.
There is no doubt my life would look entirely different had we not begun this journey together. The reality is our industry is filled with people who could say the exact same thing.
Before SMT, before SIM, before YouTube, before radio transmissions were transcribed, Kyle and I spent countless hours dissecting every race, everything his car was doing, everything his competitors’ cars were doing, what he would do differently, what he needed from me or the team to find even the smallest advantage for the next race.
He wanted to know every detail and had this immense curiosity not just on the track, but in appearances, business deals, everything. And because of that, he made me and everyone around him better.
His demand for perfection was never a burden. It was a standard worth striving for.
As anyone who truly knew him can attest, when Kyle said something kind to you, told you he appreciated you, or even gave you a simple “good job,” it meant something because praise wasn’t given freely.
It meant a great deal to me personally when we closed the transaction to acquire KBM, because those conversations began the same way our relationship did when we were younger: trying to figure out how to make his trucks faster.
His relentless pursuit of speed, feel, and perfection became a pivotal chapter not just for me, but for the many employees who came with that journey. The spirit Kyle embodied still lives in our building through the people who started at KBM and remain with Spire today. That same spirit has no doubt left its mark at Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Richard Childress Racing.
Simply put, he was one of the best to ever do this.
But for those closest to him, there was always another side.
For years, many of us would tell people there was a softness behind the public persona they rarely saw. As much of a bad ass as he was on the track, some of us were lucky enough to experience how deeply he loved, how much he cared, and yes, how much he hurt.
Yesterday, my oldest daughter Contessa graduated high school. We have so many pictures of Kyle holding her when she was only days old. The smile on his face, the amazement of holding another human being was incredibly moving.
We used to tell people about that side of him, and some would assume we were just trying to reshape public perception.
No one could question it now.
By now, the world has seen the incredible devotion he had to being a father to Brexton and Lennix. He loved his kids more than anything. The pride in his voice whenever he talked about them is something I will always remember with gratitude.
And Samantha, you gave him a kind of happiness and grounding that was unmistakable from the start. He loved you from the very first moment he saw you, and that love only grew through every victory and every setback, on the track and off.
My heart absolutely breaks for you, Brexton and Lennix.
My thoughts are also with Tom, Gaye and Kurt and everyone in our industry who is trying to make sense of this loss. It does not seem real.”
About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.
The team, co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executive Jeff Dickerson and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado its first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent victory came May 15, 2026, when Kyle Busch won the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ ECOSAVE 200 at Dover Motor Speedway.
In 2026, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., organization also fields the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.
