CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch, the two-time Cup Series champion who won more races than anyone in NASCAR’s three national series, has died. He was 41 years old.
The Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR issued a joint statement Thursday saying Busch died after being hospitalized. No cause of death was given.
Busch’s family said earlier Thursday that he was hospitalized with a “severe illness” three days before competing in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Busch was testing in a Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was taken to a hospital in Charlotte, multiple people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details have not been disclosed by Busch’s team or family.
Busch was the younger brother of NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch. He is survived by his wife Samantha and children Braxton and Lennix.
“Our entire NASCAR family is saddened by the passing of Kyle Busch,” the statement said. “A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent who comes along once in a generation. He was fiery, he was passionate, he was extremely skilled and he cared deeply about the game and the fans.”
“In his career spanning more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR’s highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series. His quick wit and competitive spirit struck a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating a proud and loyal ‘Rowdy Nation,'” the statement said.
The news comes 11 days after Busch radioed his team near the end of the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen asking a doctor to give him a “shot” after completing the race. According to the TV broadcast, Bush was suffering from a sinus cold aggravated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes on the New York road course.
Busch finished the race in eighth place.
Busch competed at Dover last weekend and won the Truck Series race for Spire Motorsports. He then finished 17th in the NASCAR All-Star Race, which was his final race.
“Can’t understand this news at all,” NASCAR driver and former teammate Denny Hamlin posted on social media. “We just need to think about his family during this time. We love you KB.”
Driver Brad Keselowski said on social media: “Absolute shock. Very hard to process.”
A polarizing figure known as “Rowdy” and “Wild Thing” for his post-race brawls, regular feuds with other drivers and sometimes odd behavior, the multi-talented Busch burst onto the Cup Series scene in 2005 by winning the Rookie of the Year title.
He won the championship in 2015 and 2019 for Joe Gibbs Racing.
“His impact on our organization and the sport of NASCAR will never be forgotten,” the team said in a statement.
From Las Vegas, Busch experienced unmatched success in NASCAR’s three national series, winning a combined 234 Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Truck Series races. He had 63 Cup wins as well as 102 O’Reilly Auto Parts wins and 69 Truck wins – both records.
Busch was fired by Hendrick Motorsports early in his career to make way for Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the team.
“Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years,” Earnhardt said in a statement. “But luckily we took the time to understand our differences and it was something he inspired through a conversation on his bus about how we managed our racing teams. I was very keen to build a better relationship between us. But it was him who made the effort to make it possible.”
Busch moved to Joe Gibbs Racing where he experienced most of his career success. But with no sponsor after the 2022 season, Busch was let go and joined Richard Childress Racing, where he struggled to win races.
His lack of success recently led to a dispute with former JGR teammate Hamlin, who appeared to criticize Busch on the “Actions Detrimental” podcast. Hamlin said, “If you’re expecting Kyle Busch to get back to victory lane on a regular basis, you’re kidding yourself.”
While Hamlin later said he meant no harm by the comments and was just making an observation, Busch took exception and said he could make Hamlin’s life “hell” at the racetrack.
Whereas in last month’s race at Kansas, despite falling behind several times, Busch raced Hamlin hard rather than allowing him to pass the race leader. That decision kept Hamlin in check during a critical stage of the race, and Tyler Reddick won the race after Hamlin weakened late.
After winning the Truck race at Dover last week and showing an increase in speed, Busch took a veiled dig at Hamlin, saying, “I guess I just remembered how to drive.”
After winning at Dover, Busch was asked how many races he wanted to win in his career.
Bush said, “Take whatever you can get, man.” “You never know when the last one is going to happen, so cherish them all – trust me.”
Busch’s unexpected death is the latest tragedy to hit NASCAR. Last December, former driver Greg Biffle, his wife and two children and three others died in a plane crash In Statesville, North Carolina.
Busch’s death was announced after the teams had already left Gasoline Alley on media day at the Indianapolis 500. As word spread down Main Street in Speedway, Indiana, just a short distance from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, race fans – IndyCar and NASCAR – were saddened.
NASCAR officials confirmed to The Associated Press that the Coca-Cola 600 will run as planned on Sunday.
Drivers are expected to begin making their way to Charlotte Motorsports Speedway in Concord on Friday, with practice and qualifying beginning Saturday. Earlier in the day, RCR announced that Austin Hill would replace Busch in the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
___ AP freelance writer and former AP Auto Racing writer Jenna Fryer and AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report. ___
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