NASCAR news as poignant Kyle Busch update issued and Bubba Wallace calls out rival

Joseph McBride Fri, May 29, 2026 at 2:21 PM UTC

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Bubba Wallace

Bubba Wallace called Carson Hocevar a 'goober' in a recent interview (Image: Getty Images)

NASCAR returns to Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday as the Cup Series will continue without Kyle Busch, following his tragic passing on May 21.

The motorsports community continues to mourn the loss of Busch, 41, who died after suffering from severe pneumonia, which progressed into sepsis. NASCAR paid tribute to Busch at the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, and the action will continue in the Cracker Barrel 400.

The harmony between NASCAR drivers has been short-lived, however, as Bubba Wallace called Carson Hocevar a "goober" after commenting on his behavior ahead of Sunday's race. Hocevar remains a divisive driver in the garage, following several on-track run-ins with his NASCAR rivals.

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NASCAR makes Busch move

NASCAR has officially removed Busch's name from its official points standings following his death on May 21. The decision was made following an internal discussion with Richard Childress Racing, opting to remove his name out of sensitivity for those who would come across it moving forward.

Busch's profile was also on the popular website Racing Reference, with his date of death now showing. The changes come in the same week that Busch's death certificate was obtained by multiple outlets.

Kyle Busch has officially been removed from the NASCAR standings (Image: Getty Images)

The certificate confirmed that Busch had been suffering from bacterial pneumonia for "days to weeks" before his death, and described a chain of events that ultimately proved unsurvivable. The pneumonia progressed into sepsis, which lasted approximately one day.

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It then led to disseminated intravascular coagulation, a condition that causes abnormal clotting throughout blood vessels, and ultimately hemorrhagic shock caused by severe internal bleeding. The certificate recorded the cause of death as natural.

Busch's time of death was listed as 4:37 p.m. on May 21. His family and NASCAR announced the tragic news approximately an hour later.

Wallace calls rival a 'goober'

Wallace and Hocevar have experienced several hostile moments on the track this season. Their rivalry intensified during the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, when aggressive bumping caused Hocevar to slide through the grass.

The next chapter was at Martinsville after Hocevar made an aggressive three-wide move on a restart, prompting Wallace to react by driving directly into the back of his car as they entered Turn 3. The contact caused a huge 12-car crash that ended Wallace's race, while Hocevar managed to recover.

During an appearance on Taylor Lewan and Will Compton's new Racin' With The Boys podcast, Wallace discussed what Hocevar was like around the garage. "He's kind of just a goober," Wallace said.

"He doesn't interact with any of the drivers. He's just to himself. All he does is iRacing and goes and races on the weekends."

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Source: “AOL Sports”