Two-time NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Busch, who died on May 21 from an undisclosed illness, was a committed family man, a husband and father of two.
Busch, 41, and his wife, Samantha, were married for 15 years.
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Their children, Brexton Locke and Lennix Key, were born on May 18, 2015, and May 10, 2022, respectively.
Kyle Busch’s older brother Kurt was also a NASCAR Cup driver.
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
Kyle Busch, driver of the #7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with daughter, Lennix Busch son, Brexton Busch and wife, Samantha Busch in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 Racing 208 at Echo Park Speedway on February 21, 2026, in Hampton, Georgia.
(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
Kyle Busch, driver of the #7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with daughter, Lennix Busch son, Brexton Busch and wife, Samantha Busch in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 Racing 208 at Echo Park Speedway on February 21, 2026, in Hampton, Georgia.
(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
Team owner Joe Gibbs, Samantha Busch, her husband, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, and their son Brexton Busch are introduced at the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards show at Wynn Las Vegas on December 4, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Ethan Miller, Getty Images)
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
May 8, 2022; Darlington, South Carolina, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) and Kurt Busch (45) wave to the fans in attendance prior to the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: IMAGN-476763 ORIG FILE ID: 20220508_jfv_bv1_009.jpg
(For The Win)
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
Kyle Busch, driver of the #7 Realtree Chevrolet, celebrates with his wife, Samantha Busch, and daughter, Lennix Busch victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 12, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas.
(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
Kyle Busch, driver of the #7 Realtree Chevrolet, celebrates with his wife, Samantha Busch, and daughter, Lennix Busch victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 12, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas.
(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Kyle Busch (54) celebrates in victory lane with his wife Samantha, and son, Brexton, after winning the Tennessee Lottery 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., Saturday, June 19, 2021.
(Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
Kyle Busch, driver of the #7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, eats a peach with son, Brexton Busch and wife, Samantha Busch in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 Racing 208 at Echo Park Speedway on February 21, 2026 in Hampton, Georgia.
(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
NASCAR Cup Series driver, Kyle Busch and wife, Samantha Busch pose for photos on the red carpet prior to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
(David Jensen, Getty Images)
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
Kyle Busch, driver of the #07 Gainbridge Chevrolet, his wife, Samantha Busch, daughter, Lennix Busch and son, Brexton Busch bow their heads during pre-race ceremonies.
(David Jensen, Getty Images)
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Kyle Busch celebrates with girlfriend Samantha Sarcinella after victory in the Camping World 300.
(Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE)
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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s family, wife Samantha, children Brexton, Lennix, brother Kurt
DOVER, DE – MAY 16: Kyle Busch (R), driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, kisses his fiancee Samantha Sarcinella in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway on May 16, 2010 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
(Jason Smith, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Here’s what to know about Kyle Busch’s family:
Kyle and Samantha Busch met at a racing event
Kyle and Samantha Busch met in 2007 at a promotional racing event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Samantha, a college student at the time, admitted she did not know who Kyle was.
They got to know each other when Kyle, who was too shy to invite Samantha himself, asked his public relations representative to invite Samantha to ride in the pace car.
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They spoke on the phone several times after that and finally went on their first date four months later.
The couple got engaged during Daytona Speedweek in 2010 and married on New Year’s Eve 2010.
Kyle and Samantha Busch struggled to start a family
After a long struggle with infertility, which Kyle and Samantha spoke about publicly, they welcomed Brexton in 2015 and Lennix via surrogacy in 2022.
Their journey with in vitro fertilization inspired Kyle and Samantha to establish the Bundle of Joy Fund, a foundation that helps families with IVF and fertility treatment.
Kyle Busch’s son Brexton is a third-generation race car driver
Kyle Busch’s father, Tom Busch, was a late model stock car driver who was a track champion in Nevada. He was also a mechanic who built Kurt and Kyle’s cars early in their racing careers.
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WHAT MADE KYLE BUSCH A GREAT DRIVER? What made Kyle Busch, who died at 41, one of NASCAR’s all-time greatest drivers
Brexton Busch became a third-generation race car driver at the age of 5 in 2020.
Under Kyle’s strict guidance, Brexton made his racing debut in the Beginner Box Stock division in North Carolina and then progressed up to competing in junior late models, Bandoleros and dirt racing events.
Kyle Busch’s brother Kurt is in the NASCAR Hall of Fame
Kyle and Kurt Busch are among the most successful NASCAR racing siblings ever.
They had a combined 97 Cup victories (Kyle 63, Kurt 34).
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Kurt, 47, retired in 2023. He was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on the first ballot in the Class of 2026.
The Busch brothers were born to Tom and Gaye Busch in Las Vegas, Nevada. Racing was the family business. While Tom was a race car driver and a mechanic, Gaye served as an official at nearby Craig Road Speedway.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kyle Busch family, what to know after NASCAR driver dies at 41
