05/22/26 02:30:00
Printable Page
05/22 02:28 CDT 2-time NASCAR champ Kyle Busch dies at 41 after being
hospitalized with a 'severe illness'
2-time NASCAR champ Kyle Busch dies at 41 after being hospitalized with a
'severe illness'
By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) --- Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion who won more
races than anyone across NASCAR's three national series, has died. He was 41.
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 he was to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte
Motor Speedway.
Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday
when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte,
several 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 Kurt Busch, a NASCAR Hall of Famer. He's
survived by wife Samantha and children Brexton and Lennix.
"Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch," the
statement said. "A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes
along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely
skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans."
The statement went on to say that "throughout a career that spanned 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 sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep
emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal
?Rowdy Nation.'"
The news comes 11 days after Busch radioed into his crew near the end of a Cup
Series race at Watkins Glen asking a doctor to give him a "shot" when he
finished the race. According to the TV broadcast, Busch had been struggling
with a sinus cold exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes at
the New York road course.
Busch finished the race in eighth place.
Busch competed at Dover last weekend and won the Trucks Series race for Spire
Motorsports. He then finished 17th at the NASCAR All-Star race, his final race.
"Absolutely cannot comprehend this news," NASCAR driver and former teammate
Denny Hamlin posted on social media. "We just need to think of his family
during this time. We love you KB."
Added driver Brad Keselowski on social media: "Absolute shock. Very hard to
process."
A polarizing figure known as "Rowdy" and "Wild Thing" for his post-race fights,
regular feuds with other drivers and sometimes outlandish behavior, the
multi-talented Busch stormed on the Cup Series scene in 2005 by winning Rookie
of the Year.
He went on to win championships in 2015 and 2019 for Joe Gibbs Racing.
"His impact on our organization and on the sport of NASCAR will never be
forgotten," the team said in a statement.
From Las Vegas, Busch experienced unrivaled success across NASCAR's three
national series winning a combined 234 Cup, O'Reilly Auto Parts and Trucks
Series races. He had 63 Cup victories along with 102 O'Reilly Auto Parts wins
and 69 Trucks victories --- both records.
Busch was fired early in his career by Hendrick Motorsports to make room on the
team for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years," Earnhardt said
in a statement. "But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and
that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we
each managed our racing teams. I was super eager for us to get on better terms.
But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible."
Busch moved on to Joe Gibbs Racing where he experienced the vast majority of
career success. But Busch was let go when there was no sponsor after the 2022
season and joined Richard Childress Racing, where had struggled to win races.
His lack of success led to a recent spat with former JGR teammate Hamlin, who
appeared to criticize Busch on the "Actions Detrimental" podcast. Hamlin said,
"If you're expecting Kyle Busch to just go back to victory lane on a regular
basis, you are kidding yourselves."
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"
on the racetrack.
While several laps down at last month's race at Kansas, Busch raced Hamlin hard
instead of allowing the race leader to pass. That decision held up Hamlin
during a crucial stage of the race and Tyler Reddick won the race after Hamlin
faded late.
After winning the Trucks race at Dover last week and showing an uptick in
speed, Busch seemed to make a veiled jab at Hamlin, saying "I guess I just
remembered how to drive."
After earning his win at Dover, Busch was asked how many races he wanted to win
in his career.
"You take whatever you can get, man," Busch said. "You never know when the last
one is going to be, so cherish them all --- trust me."
Busch's unexpected death is just 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.
The announcement of Busch's death came after teams had already left Gasoline
Alley on media day at the Indianapolis 500. As word spread on Main Street in
Speedway, Indiana, just a short walk from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, race
fans -- IndyCar and NASCAR -- were saddened.
NASCAR officials confirmed to The Associated Press the Coca-Cola 600 will go on
as planned Sunday.
Drivers are expected to begin making their way to Charlotte Motorsports
Speedway in Concord on Friday with practice and qualifying beginning on
Saturday. Earlier in the day, RCR had 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. -__
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
|
