NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch, older brother of former NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, took to X, the platform formally known as Twitter, on June 8 to express his gratitude in the wake of Kyle’s sudden death on May 21 resulting from complications with severe bacterial pneumonia.
Kyle, 41, drove for Richard Childress Racing at the time of his death.
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“Thank you, everyone, for the well wishes, support, & love for my brother and our family. I reflect back on the days Kyle and I raced anything we could get our hands on,” Kurt posted on social media. “I will forever be grateful for the memories we made, the lessons you taught me, and the brotherhood we shared.”
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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)
Below the message, Kurt posted four pictures of him and his brother together at various race venues spanning the years.
Kyle won NASCAR Cup Series season championships in 2015 and 2019. He won regular-season Cup Series titles in 2018 and 2019 and won the Nationwide Series title in 2009.
His 63 Cup Series victories tie him for ninth all-time with Denny Hamlin. He’s the all-time leader in wins in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with 102 and in the Truck Series with 69.
Many tributes were paid to Busch after his death, including on May 31, when his No. 8 was painted on the infield at Nashville Superspeedway the weekend of the Cracker Barrel 400.
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Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What NASCAR HOF Kurt Busch said about brother Kyle Busch’s death
