Even after death, Kyle Busch looms large at Celebration of America
OXFORD — Derek Kneeland took a deep breath before addressing the crowd at Oxford Plains Speedway on Thursday evening, a rare moment of vulnerability for someone who doesn't consider himself an emotional person.
The Windham native, one of 32 racers in the third annual Celebration of America 300, spoke about a special night he'd shared with Kyle Busch the previous year. The two had gone camping together while Busch was in town to compete, and they bonded over their shared love of Moscow mules — so much so that Kneeland's wife made a run to Roopers to stock up on supplies.
"That night was the first time he told me he loved me," Kneeland said. "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to go through."
Busch, the celebrated NASCAR driver who won the Oxford 250 in 2011 and became a fixture at the Maine track, died suddenly in May at age 41. His passing cast a shadow over Thursday's race, which took place just days before the nation's 250th birthday, transforming the event into both a celebration of American independence and a tribute to a racing legend.
Tom Mayberry, the track's owner and president, told the crowd that Busch had genuinely loved returning to Oxford Plains.
"I always said that one of the reasons a lot of these people are so good is they know what they have to do to the car," Mayberry said. "A lot of people just drive, and they don't work on it, but Kyle knew how to do that."
Kneeland, who spent five years as Busch's spotter on the NASCAR Cup Series, had received permission from Busch's father to dedicate his race to the memory of his friend. After reaching out to the family, Kneeland was given the blessing to run either number 8 or 51 — the numbers Busch drove for Richard Childress Racing. He chose to combine them, racing as "KB8" to honor both Busch's initials and his iconic car number.
During warm-up laps, racers circled the track four-wide in a tribute acknowledging Busch's legendary skill at navigating four-wide situations. Several competitors also painted their cars in his honor, including Ben Rowe of Turner, who displayed the No. 5 in the red-and-black scheme Busch used in the early 2000s.
Race runner-up Gabe Brown of Center Conway, New Hampshire, had developed a friendship with Busch after Busch drove Brown's car once. Brown led much of the race, hoping to secure a victory for his late friend.
"He drove my car once, and we became really good friends after that," Brown said. "He's somebody that taught me a lot in a short period of time, and I'm just thankful for that. I know he would have hated to lose this race, too, and I hate it as much as he would have."
In the end, it was Brown's fellow Center Conway native D.J. Shaw who crossed the finish line first. Shaw had competed against Busch in multiple PASS races, including the Celebration of America in both 2024 and 2025. Winning on a night dedicated to honoring Busch, he said, carried special significance.
"He was an icon of the sport," Shaw said. "To have the race here on the Fourth of July week and to be able to honor him and to honor America, it was pretty awesome."
The Celebration of America 300, now in its third year, had featured Busch in its first two editions, as well as in last year's Memorial Day Clash. Thursday's race, marked by speeches, tributes, and emotional competitors, served as both a send-off for a beloved driver and a celebration of the community he touched.
