Blaney paying tribute to Busch with special helmet for Iowa

Ryan Blaney will take memories of Kyle Busch along for the ride today in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway.

Blaney rolled out a new helmet this weekend that features various pictures from Busch’s career and different color elements to match paint schemes from Busch’s legendary career. It was shown for the first time during the USA Sports qualifying broadcast on Saturday.

The two-time Cup Series champion and future NASCAR Hall of Famer unexpectedly passed away on May 21 from pneumonia that progressed into sepsis. Busch was 41.

“My thought when Kyle passed – I always thought in situations like that – how do you remember somebody and think of all the good they did in their life and all the success they had?” explained Blaney. “I think helmets are a unique thing in our sport; we kind of get to design them. A lot of them have special meaning, and this is my best way of showing my respect toward Kyle Busch and respect for the Busch family.

“I picked out, I think about seven or eight pictures of wins of his, some big wins.”

Among those wins: the first career victory for Busch in both the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Cup Series, his 100th win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, his 200th win in NASCAR, a Brickyard 400 win, one of his Bristol Motor Speedway sweeps, and both of his Cup Series championships. Busch is the winningest driver in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series, and he earned 234 career wins across the three NASCAR national series (the most of all drivers) before his passing.

The colors on the helmet correspond with the paint schemes Busch drove in those moments. There is green and white for Interstate Batteries, and yellow with the M&M’s icons. Both were two of Busch’s most recognizable sponsors.

“That’s kind of how it’s broken up,” Blaney said. “My painter did a good job of getting kind of imaginative on it. But I hope to run it for one race and give it to Brexton, the Busch family, and they can do whatever they want with it. Yeah, respect, and I’m glad people noticed it.”

Blaney and his one-of-a-kind helmet will start from the pole in Sunday’s race.