Race fans honor Kyle Busch at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Nearly five months after NASCAR driver Kyle Busch died from a sudden illness, fans gathered Friday for the Kyle Busch Celebration of Life at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Thousands of fans were in the grandstands and some stood below near the stage that had the image of Busch’s signature celebration and his nickname, Rowdy. Officials pushed out 10 cars from Busch’s career, including from his first NASCAR Cup Series win in 2005.

During the celebration, fans were able to watch video tributes on the screen in between segments with speakers that highlighted moments in his career, like when Busch captured both of his NASCAR Cup Series Championships.

On-stage activity was kicked off by FOX Sports broadcaster Mike Joy, who was alongside Busch's brother Kurt.

Fans also heard from several alumni of Kyle Busch Motorsports, including Christopher Bell of Huntersville-based Joe Gibbs Racing.

During the event, Havana Berger, who’s from Las Vegas, said Busch’s impact was larger than just him as the competitor.

"My favorite honestly memory of him is about the foundation that him and Samantha Bush started and learning about their own struggles with infertility and what they've done for the infertility community as a whole," Berger said. "You know that's someone that you learn to love on and off the track."

Her husband James McCombs is a longtime fan of Busch and has been attending races since 2008.

"I got to see Kyle win at Auto Club, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and every single time I watched him win, it was just something different," McCombs said.

"It was magical. I was from Vegas, you know, born and raised, so he was my childhood hero and when I got to see him win, it just made my year. And so all my best memories are from going to the track with my family and getting to see him win every year whenever he was at his peak, and, yeah, that's, there's just nothing else like him," he said.

To close out the night, the crowd got on their feet and cheered as Busch’s son, Brexton, drove his father’s car and performed a burnout. When he was done, he took a bow the same way his father celebrated his NASCAR victories.