NASCAR legend Kyle Busch died on May 21 at 41 years old.
His death was caused by bacterial pneumonia that turned into sepsis, according to a statement from his family and his death certificate, which was first obtained by US Weekly. The Las Vegas native had been battling pneumonia for “days to weeks” before he succumbed to the illness at 4:37 p.m. ET on May 21. His death was listed as natural causes.
Advertisement
The death certificate also said that Busch was cremated in Mooresville, North Carolina.
The sepsis set in roughly one day before Busch’s death. The sepsis triggered disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), which is abnormal clotting throughout blood vessels that cuts off flow to organs. That was followed by hemorrhagic shock caused by severe bleeding. The DIC and hemorrhagic shock lasted for hours.
Dr. Ryan Maves, chief of critical care medicine at Wake Forest University and an infectious disease physician, told USA TODAY that for Busch, a 41-year-old athlete, to die from pneumonia was, “very, very unusual.”
Kyle Busch 911 call and previous signs of illness
The day before he died, Busch was coughing up blood at a General Motors facility in Concord, North Carolina, and someone called 911. The Associated Press reported that Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator when he went unconscious. The caller said that he was awake on a bathroom floor, short of breath and was hot to the touch.
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)
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)
2 / 18
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)
3 / 18
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)
5 / 18
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)
6 / 18
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)
7 / 18
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)
8 / 18
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)
9 / 18
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)
11 / 18
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)
14 / 18
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)
16 / 18
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)
17 / 18
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)
18 / 18
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)
On May 10, while racing at Watkins Glen, he was battling a sinus cold and requested on the team radio to meet with a doctor after the competition.
Advertisement
Busch’s family and NASCAR announced the news of his death shortly after his passing. They initially said he died from a “severe illness,” which he had been hospitalized for.
He leaves behind his wife, Samantha, and their two kids, 11-year-old son Brexton and 4-year-old daughter Lennix.
Tributes poured in from across social media to mourn Busch’s death. Fellow drivers, the teams he raced for and even his former rival, Dale Earnhardt Jr., reflected on the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s legacy.
Contributing: Kristie Ackert
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside Kyle Busch death certificate: Cause of death, key details
