Learning new details about the sudden and shocking death of Kyle Busch.
The 41-year-old two time NASCAR Cup Series champion passed away on Thursday, May 21, just hours after it was announced that he had been hospitalized for a “severe illness” and would miss this weekend’s upcoming Coca-Cola 600.
Just 10 days before his death, during a race at Watkins Glen, Busch had told his team to have a doctor meet him after the race to give him a shot:
Busch had been suffering from a sinus infection, and when asked about it last weekend at Dover, said that he was still dealing with the cough but appeared to be getting better:
The announcement this morning came as a shock to many, as did the news of his passing a few hours later. No cause of death has been released, and it remains to be seen whether it had anything to do with the sinus infection he had been battling the past couple weeks, but we’re learning more details about what ultimately happened leading up to his death.
According to the Associated Press, citing anonymous sources familiar with the situation, Busch was at the Chevrolet racing simulator on Wednesday when he collapsed and became unresponsive before being transported to the hospital. Emergency dispatch data shows that a call was made from the GM Technical Center in Charlotte around 5:30 on Wednesday afternoon for a patient with “difficulty breathing.”
This was also confirmed by veteran FOX Sports broadcaster Chris Myers during an appearance on Fox News:
“He went to a simulator and kind of collapsed and then all of a sudden he’s in the hospital and this is sped right up.”
At the time of his death, Busch was the all-time winningest driver in NASCAR history, scoring a total of 234 wins including 63 Cup Series wins, 102 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins, and 69 Truck Series victories. His final victory came in the Truck Series at Dover less than a week before his death.
A joint statement was also released by his family along with Richard Childress Racing:
“Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch. 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.
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.’
Our thoughts are with Samantha, Brexton and Lennix, Kyle and Samantha’s parents, Kurt and all of Kyle’s family, Richard and Judy Childress, everyone at Richard Childress Racing, his teammates, friends and fans. NASCAR lost a giant of the sport today, far too soon.”
Busch is survived by his wife Samantha, his children, Brexton and Lennix, and his brother, fellow NASCAR legend Kurt Busch.
Honestly, I’m still trying to process the whole thing myself. I was 14 when Kyle Busch first started racing full-time in the Cup Series, so it’s hard to remember a time when he wasn’t on the track. I found myself cheering more and more for Busch the past couple years, and was really looking forward to seeing him back in victory lane for what no doubt would have been one of the most popular Cup Series wins in recent history.
It just feels like his story will forever be unfinished. He was supposed to get back to victory lane, supposed to race alongside his son Brexton in the Truck Series once he was old enough, and retire to watch his son become a superstar following in the footsteps of his father.
Now, we’ll never get the ending that Kyle Busch deserved.
