Takes on a whole new meaning.
I’m still trying to process the news that Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and winningest driver in NASCAR history, is gone.
His death was announced this afternoon by NASCAR after his family had revealed earlier in the day that Busch had been hospitalized and would miss the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend. Busch was just 41 years old.
Following his death, a joint statement was released from his family, NASCAR, and his Richard Childress Racing team:
“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.”
His death comes less than a week after his final NASCAR win, in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover last Friday. And his interview following that race has taken on a whole new significance now that he’s gone.
Busch drove the #77 truck for Spire Motorsports to victory lane on Friday amid what’s been a tough season for his NASCAR Cup Series team. And Busch spoke about appreciating the victory even more given his recent struggles in the Cup Series:
“You never know when the last one is, you know? I know all too well unfortunately with the Cup stuff, but here with the Truck stuff right now it’s awesome to be a part of Spire Motorsports.”
How true that really is…
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.
Busch first got his start in NASCAR back in 2003, in what’s now known as the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (then-Busch Series) as a development driver for Hendrick Motorsports shortly after his 18th birthday.
Prior to even turning 18, Busch had proven himself a force to be reckoned with by winning races in the ARCA Series, and unlike most drivers, Hendrick decided to immediately put Busch into a Cup Series car during his first full-time season in 2004.
It was a move that paid off well, with Busch winning two races during his first season behind the wheel of the #5 car for Hendrick Motorsports.
Busch moved to Joe Gibbs Racing as driver of the iconic #18 car in 2008, where he won two championships during his 15 years with the team, in 2015 and again in 2019.
In 2023, he moved to Richard Childress Racing, winning 3 races during his first season with the team. His final Cup Series win came that year at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis.
No further information was given on the illness that led to his hospitalization and death. Busch is survived by his wife Samantha, his children, Brexton and Lennix, and his brother, fellow NASCAR legend Kurt Busch.
Busch and his wife have been vocal about their struggles to conceive, and served as fierce advocates for IVF through their foundation. During one of his final interviews, which came last month on the Hang Out with Sean Hannity podcast, Busch spoke about the couple’s struggles and why it means so much to them to help others struggling to conceive:
“It’s an emotional and stressful journey, that’s for sure. It takes the most out of you. We had our son and daughter—both were IVF. Brexton was the first embryo—everything went fine with him. Samantha carried, the birth was great, all that stuff was fine. And then it took us six tries for Lennix—Lennix is the seventh.
So when we went through it—you know, 2015 was the first time for Brexton, and then 2022 Lennox came—it was $20,000 to $25,000 a cycle, and it’s only getting higher, you know what I mean? So we have our own fund that we do—the Bundle of Joy Fund—that we raise money for. And we also raise awareness—just what it’s all about and how to help and things like that—where people can go, clinics and all that. And so we’ve raised over $2 million, given away over $2 million to other families to be able to go through IVF journeys of their own. We’ve got over 120 babies born now.”
What a legacy to leave behind.
Rest in peace, Rowdy.
