Kyle Busch dies: 2-time NASCAR champ was 41

Iconic NASCAR driver Kyle Busch dies at 41

Legendary NASCAR driver Kyle Busch died on Thursday, after being hospitalized with an undisclosed "severe illness." Busch was a two-time Cup champion and undoubtedly a future Hall of Famer. He'd been in the Cup Series since 2004, making 762 career starts with 63 wins. NASCAR, the Busch family and Richard Childress Racing announced his passing, but did not offer a cause of death.

Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, died on Thursday. He was 41 years old. 

Busch won 234 races across the sport's three national series, more than any driver in history. He also has won 63 Cup Series races, including the 2018 Coca-Cola 600.

News of Busch's death comes 11 days after he radioed into his crew near the end of a Cup Series race at Watkins Glen on May 10 asking a doctor to give him a "shot" after he finished the race. 

Busch was reportedly dealing with a sinus cold. He ended up finishing the race in eighth place.

FILE-Kyle Busch (#8 Richard Childress Racing Rebel Root Beer Whiskey Chevrolet) waives to fans during driver introductions ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix on March 1, 2026, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. (Photo

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His death was announced by the Busch family, NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing. His family said earlier Thursday that he was hospitalized with a "severe illness," three days before he was to compete at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch Family, Richard Childress Racing, NASCAR statement on Busch

What they're saying:

The Busch Family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR issued a joint statement Thursday saying that Busch died after being hospitalized. No cause of death was given, according to NASCAR.com.

"Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch," the statement said. "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."

Who was Kyle Busch?

The backstory:

Kyle Busch was born on May 2, 1985, into a racing family in Las Vegas.  Busch drove for three Hall of Fame team owners in the Cup, getting his start with Hendrick Motorsports as a heralded rookie in stock-car racing’s big leagues in 2005. 

In 2008, Busch joined Joe Gibbs Racing and built a long-running partnership that made him the face of Toyota’s NASCAR endeavors. 

NASCAR noted that Busch's 15-year association with Joe Gibbs Racing was one of the sport’s most successful tenures, with at least one victory in each of those seasons. 

Busch scored 56 of his 63 Cup Series wins with the former Gibbs, adding 90 more O’Reilly wins and a series championship in 2009.

He also spent the final stages of his career with Richard Childress Racing, joining the team in 2023 and taking over as driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet.

Busch is survived by his parents and his wife, Samantha, and two children — son Brexton and daughter Lennix.