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Kyle Busch death: Latest news on how NASCAR legend passed away

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Fans continue to mourn Kyle Busch two days after the NASCAR legend’s sudden and shocking death at age 41.

The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion was hospitalized in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier this week with what his family and the auto racing series termed a “severe illness.”

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Busch was scheduled to compete in two NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway over Memorial Day weekend: a Craftsman Truck Series race that was reschedued for the morning of Saturday, May 23, and the annual Coca-Cola 600, the Cup Series’ longest race of the season on Sunday, May 24.

Busch won 63 Cup Series races, which ranks ninth on the all-time list, and season championships in 2015 and 2019. He holds the record for most wins in the second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with 102 and the Truck Series with 69. His most recent Trucks win came last weekend at Dover Motor Speedway, and his post-race interview has now taken on a whole new layer.

Here’s what we know about Kyle Busch’s death:

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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)

What is Kyle Busch’s cause of death

Kyle Busch’s cause of death is still not known. The racing star was hospitalized this week with a “severe illness.” The Associated Press reported that Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte.

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Earlier this month, he was heard on team radio at Watkins Glen talking with the team doctor and was battling a sinus cold. A week later, at Dover, after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ECOSAVE 200 on May 15, Busch addressed his cold on video. “I’m still not great,” he said. “The cough was pretty substantial last week.” — Victoria Hernandez

What transpired on the 911 call for Kyle Busch?

Kyle Busch was coughing up blood when emergency responders were called to a General Motors facility in Concord, North Carolina, the day before the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion died, according to the 911 call obtained by USA TODAY.

In the call, a man tells a dispatcher that Busch was on the bathroom floor, awake, but in distress. He said Busch was coughing up blood, short of breath and very hot. The caller asked that emergency responders turn off their sirens on arrival.

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“I’ve got an individual that’s (experiencing) shortness of breath, very hot and thinks he’s going to pass out, and he’s producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood,” the caller told the dispatcher.

The caller identified the location as the General Motors Charlotte Technical Center off Speedway Boulevard in Concord, describing it as being next to Hendrick Motorsports. — Scooby Axson and Kristie Ackert

What illness did Kyle Busch die from?

Kyle Busch had a “severe illness,” according to a joint statement between his family and NASCAR, though no details were given. At the NASCAR Cup Series race May 10 at Watkins Glen, FOX Sports noted during its broadcast that Busch had been fighting a sinus cold. He radioed in to his team to have the track doctor meet him after that race, but he did not elaborate why. Less than a week later as NASCAR traveled to Dover, Delaware, for its All-Star Race weekend, Busch said he still wasn’t feeling great and “the cough was pretty substantial.”

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See the most heartfelt moments with Kyle Busch and his family.

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)

What did NASCAR say about Kyle Busch’s cause of death?

NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell held a pess conference Friday, May 22 at Charlotte Motor Speedway before drivers took the track for a planned Craftsman Truck Series race that Kyle Busch had been scheduled to compete in. O’Donnell was asked by reporers if he had further information about Busch’s health or his cause of death, but he was careful with his answers in deference to Busch’s family.

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“We’re 24 hours from getting a phone call, and I don’t think it’s – out of respect for the family, and they’ve asked for privacy, I’m not going to address any of that,” O’Donnell said. “Let me just add on to that, however, you guys who know me know that transparency is something we all believe in. So in due time, I think everyone will be comfortable with where things stand.” — Mitchell Northam

How has NASCAR honored Kyle Busch at Charlotte Motor Speedway so far?

NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell began his press conference Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a long tribute to the two-time Cup Series champion, who he called “an American badass. Behind the wheel, who you want to be.”

O’Donnell also made clear that Busch’s wife, Samantha, son Brexton, 11, and daughter Lennix, 4, would always be a part of NASCAR’s family. “The sport and all of us grew up and watched Kyle be a racer, but we watched him become a husband and a father the same way we watched him become a champion,” O’Donnell said.

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Fox Sports also celebrated Busch when its Truck Series broadcast began on FS1 Friday night, with main play-by-play announcer Mike Joy delivering a monologue and narrating a video about Busch.

Joy was also joined in the broadcast booth by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano and former driver and longtime NASCAR TV analyst Michael Waltrip, who were providing color commentary for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Truck Series race. The duo battled with their emotions while trying to comprehend the loss of someone they knew both on the track and off.

While the Truck Series race ended up being rescheduled from Friday night to Saturday morning because of rain, Charlotte Motor Speedway held a moment of silence for Busch before the national anthem and invocation during pre-race festivities.

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Who else paid tribute to Kyle Busch?

Along with fellow drivers and athletes across a spectrum of sports, Kyle Busch was also celebrated by President Donald Trump, who also sent condolences to Busch’s wife, Samantha.

Austin Dillon, Busch’s teammate at Richard Childress Racing, also posted a long letter to Instagram about Busch – the driver Dillon admired when he was a kid in the racing shop of his grandfather, Richard Childress, the competitor Dillon battled on the track in three different NASCAR Series, and the teammate and mentor Busch became.

What happens to Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Cup Series car?

Kyle Busch has driven the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing since 2023, but RCR announced Friday, May 22 it is suspending use of the number until Busch’s 11-year-old son Brexton is ready to take over. RCR will instead switch to the No. 33 Chevrolet starting this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600.

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“Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylized No. 8 and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for his fans and the NASCAR industry,” the team said. “No one can carry it forward to the level that he did. The No. 8 is reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing.” — Kristie Ackert

Who will replace Kyle Busch at the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600?

Kyle Busch was preparing to race in the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 this weekend, part of the “Greatest Day in Motorsport” with the Indy 500, before he was hospitalized and passed away.

Richard Childress Racing is calling up Austin Hill, Busch’s backup from the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, for the Cup Series race in Charlotte. Hill’s most recent win came in February at Daytona International Speedway. Per Hill’s bio on the NASCAR website, it was his 15th career win in NASCAR’s second-tier series, and his 11th drafting-style win, which added to his series record for the most drafting-style victories previously held by Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Tony Stewart. — Andrés Soto

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How did Kyle Busch die? What we know about NASCAR driver’s death

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