Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch passed away unexpectedly on May 21. He was 41 years old.
Busch’s family made a joint statement with NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing the day of his passing: “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.”
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Busch’s death was a shock to the racing community.
Here’s what to know about Kyle Busch’s passing:
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See the most heartfelt moments with Kyle Busch and his family.
Kyle Busch’s career left a lasting mark on NASCAR, with achievements and moments that defined his time in the sport.
Above, Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 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 Feb. 21, 2026, in Hampton, Georgia.
(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)
1 / 18
See the most heartfelt moments with Kyle Busch and his family.
Kyle Busch’s career left a lasting mark on NASCAR, with achievements and moments that defined his time in the sport.
Above, Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 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 Feb. 21, 2026, in Hampton, Georgia.
(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)
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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 zone/Thorntons Chevrolet, exits his car and reacts after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 30, 2024, in Lebanon, Tennessee.
(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)
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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 22, 2025, in Hampton, Georgia.
(Jonathan Bachman, Getty Images)
4 / 18
Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 Racing 208 at Echo Park Speedway on Feb. 21, 2026, in Hampton, Georgia.
(Jonathan Bachman, Getty Images)
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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 17, 2015, in Kansas City, Kansas.
(Matt Sullivan, Getty Images)
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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota, celebrates winning the series championship and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 22, 2015, in Homestead, Florida.
(Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images)
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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota, celebrates winning the series championship and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 22, 2015, in Homestead, Florida.
(Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images)
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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead Speedway on Nov. 17, 2019, in Homestead, Florida.
(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)
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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, and crew celebrate in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 22, 2025, in Hampton, Georgia.
(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)
10 / 18
See the most heartfelt moments with Kyle Busch and his family.
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 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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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 24, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)
12 / 18
See the most heartfelt moments with Kyle Busch and his family.
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with his daughter, Lennix Busch in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 Racing 208 at Echo Park Speedway on Feb. 21, 2026, in Hampton, Georgia.
(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)
13 / 18
Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota, celebrates with his son Brexton and wife Samantha in Victory Lane after winning the series championship and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 22, 2015, in Homestead, Florida.
(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)
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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 22, 2025, in Hampton, Georgia.
(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)
15 / 18
See the most heartfelt moments with Kyle Busch and his family.
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 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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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWT Raceway on June 4, 2023, in Madison, Illinois.
(Jeff Curry, Getty Images)
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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 22, 2025, in Hampton, Georgia.
(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)
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Remembering Kyle Busch’s life and NASCAR career in photos
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 22, 2025, in Hampton, Georgia.
(Jonathan Bachman, Getty Images)
Kyle Busch cause of death
It has been confirmed that Busch died due to pneumonia, leading to sepsis.
Sepsis occurs when the body inappropriately responds to an infection, causing the organs to operate poorly. Busch’s body went into sepsis in response to his pneumonia.
Had Kyle Busch experienced any medical issues prior?
On May 16, Busch did an interview in which he spoke on his symptoms. He said, “I’m still not great. But the cough was pretty substantial last week.”
On May 10, Busch made a radio call requesting assistance during a race.
In the clip, Busch expresses that he’s been dealing with a “sinus cold.”
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Finally, on May 20, Busch experienced serious issues. Not only did he become unresponsive while testing in a Chevrolet racing simulator, but a 911 call made later that day revealed that Busch had coughed up blood and was lying on the bathroom floor before calling for help.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What happened to Kyle Busch? Cause of death, timeline and details
