Daniel Suarez wins the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 after NASCAR honors the late Kyle Busch

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — When Daniel Suarez was struggling to make his name in auto racing, he would often get phone calls from Kyle Busch offering words of encouragement and urging him to keep working.

That made his crown jewel Cup Series victory Sunday night all the more special.

Suarez benefitted from a crucial pit call, then caught a break from Mother Nature to win the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600, capping an emotional day in which the racing world remembered the late Busch.

Suarez became the first Mexican-born driver to win the Coke 600. It was his third Cup Series win and first since 2024.

The victory was especially emotional for Suarez, who previously raced for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

“Kyle, he was special,” Saurez said as he teared up. “I was doing this for Kyle, for (his wife) Samatha, for (his children) Brexton and Lennix and for all of his family.”

A non-factor for most of the race, Suarez gambled and took two tires during a late pit stop, then held off Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin on restarts before the race was called when the sky opened up and rain drenched the track shortly before midnight Eastern time.

NASCAR quickly made the decision to call the race with 27 laps remaining.

Bell finished second; Hamlin was third.

The two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates had a chance to catch Suarez on the two restarts, but couldn't clear his No. 7 Chevrolet.

“It’s a bummer," Bell said, who won the rain-shortened 2024 Coca-Cola 600. "It wasn’t meant to be today. That's 2026 for us.”

Hamlin said he was “just a little unlucky.”

“The 20 car (Bell) and us were just really battling because we knew whoever could clear him (would win the race),” Hamlin said. "We were really good all day. We just didn’t get to see it through.”

The race came just three days after Busch’s death sent shockwaves throughout the motorsports world and beyond. The 41-year-old Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming complications, according to a statement released by his family.

The two-time Cup Series champion and winner of a record 234 races across NASCAR’s three national series had become unresponsive while practicing in a Chevrolet simulator Wednesday, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no details were released by the family.

Busch's family attended the race and NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell told them they are part of the NASCAR community and “we got you.”

NASCAR and CMS honored Busch with his No. 8 and signature on the frontstretch grass and a highway billboard near the main entrance of the track. The U.S. Army Golden Knights carried a Busch flag prior to the race and each of the 39 cars in field carried a small, black No. 8 decal.

Kyle Larson won the first stage race. Hamlin won the second stage and Bell the third.

Defending champion Ross Chastain crashed out when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. clipped his car in Turn 2 with 81 laps remaning in the race.

Connor Zilisch and Austin Cindric only made it 52 laps before getting caught up in a crash. Cindric got turned around and Zilisch came crashing in to the side of his No. 2 Ford, ending both drivers’ day.

Chase Elliott, a two-time winner this year, hit the outside wall and ping-ponged into the inside wall on Lap 90. That car was beyond repair and he finished 37th.

“I was trying to make something happen and I stepped over the line,” Elliott said.

Austin Hill, a regular driver in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series for Richard Childress Racing, took Busch's spot in the race and finished 26th. He drove the No. 33 car after RCR temporarily retired the No. 8 until Busch's 11-year-old son Brexton is ready to drive.

Austin Dillon, went behind the wall with damage to the front of his car with 56 laps to go, ending any hope of an emotional win for RCR. He finished 32nd.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Daniel Suarez celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Tribute images are displayed on the backstretch videoboard in honor of late driver Kyle Busch during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Daniel Suarez celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Daniel Suarez celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Austin Hill steers down the front stretch during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Kyle Larson (5) leads a pack of cars into Turn 4 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

A pack of cars compete down the front stretch during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A two-goal swing over a disputed no-goal call in the first period that resulted in a three-goal deficit could have doomed Vegas on Sunday.

The Golden Knights, instead, put the setback behind them and rallied to beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 and take a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final.

Vegas forward Pavel Dorofeyev appeared to score a power-play goal with 7:26 left in the first period, but officials immediately waved it off and the decision was upheld on video review. The Golden Knights immediately celebrated despite the initial call with a run through the high-five line, believing the call would be changed after officials checked the video.

Officials ruled on the ice that the puck went off Dorofeyev's glove, according to the ESPN broadcast, and found the video inconclusive.

Dorofeyev's stick also might have been above the cross bar, but it was at least even with it.

The Avalanche then made the Golden Knights pay when Jack Drury found himself alone on a breakaway, deking Vegas goalie Carter Hart to score the short-handed goal with 6:45 left for the three-goal lead.

A lead that didn't last.

“Not super ideal, obviously, but I think we got a pretty big penalty kill after that and it kind of settled us down and the period ends,” Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said. "That’s probably the best thing that could happen to us, the period ends.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Colorado Avalanche's Jack Drury, left, scores on Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart during the first period in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) CORRECTION: Name corrected to Jack Drury not Cale Makar.

Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog, right, blocks the shot by Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev during the second period in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)