Two-time Nascar Cup Series champion Kyle Busch dies at 41

Two-time Nascar Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has died at 41 after being hospitalized with a severe illness, Nascar said in a Thursday statement.

“We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport’s greatest and fiercest drivers. He was 41 years old,” the racing organization wrote on social media. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community.”

No cause of death was given.

Busch’s family had announced his hospitalization earlier on Thursday, saying he wouldn’t compete as planned at this weekend’s Nascar race in Charlotte, North Carolina.

During a Nascar Cup Series race on 10 May at Watkins Glen, Busch radioed in to his crew requesting medical aid from Dr Bill Heisel and a “shot” after the race. According to the TV broadcast, Busch had been struggling with a sinus cold that was exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes at the upstate New York road course.

Busch continued to race and finished eighth.

Busch ranked 24th in the Cup Series standings, with two top-10 finishes in 12 races this season. The Las Vegas native won championships in 2015 and 2019. Busch was in his fourth season at Richard Childress Racing after winning titles with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Busch won 234 races across Nascar’s three national series, more than any driver in history. His last win came in 2023.

A polarizing figure known as “Rowdy” and “Wild Thing” for his post-race fights, regular feuds with other drivers and sometimes outlandish behavior, the multi-talented Busch stormed on the Cup Series scene in 2005 by winning rookie of the year.

Over the course of his career, he won 63 Cup Series races.

Busch is survived by his wife, Samantha, and children Brexton and Lennix.

Associated Press contributed reporting