NASCAR Legend Kyle Busch Dies at Age 41
What’s Happening? NASCAR has confirmed the passing of two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch at age 41 following a short…
In the aftermath of Kyle Busch’s shocking and tragic passing, very little is known about what led to the “severe illness” that hospitalized Busch. As time goes on, more information will emerge about what led to Thursday afternoon’s tragedy. Here’s what’s public so far.
What’s Happening? NASCAR has confirmed the passing of two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch at age 41 following a short…
The story of what would ultimately lead to Busch’s passing began Thursday morning, when Busch’s team, alongside his NASCAR Cup Series team Richard Childress Racing, shared on social media that he would miss this weekend’s activities due to severe illness.
While the phrasing was concerning to many in the NASCAR community, RCR and Spire Motorsports moved forward with substitute drivers for the weekend, and RCR said that Busch’s seat would be ready for his return.
Unfortunately, at 5:40 PM ET, the Busch Family, Richard Childress Racing, and NASCAR announced Busch’s death, saying:
“On behalf of the Busch family, everyone at Richard Childress Racing and all of NASCAR, we are devastated to announce the sudden and tragic passing of Kyle Busch.”
At the time, no cause of death was released, nor was there any timeline of events leading up to Busch’s passing.
What’s Happening? Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch will miss this weekend’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway following his hospitalization for…
Per the Busch family, a medical evaluation showed that Kyle suffered from “severe pneumonia” and from there, his condition “progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications.”
A 911 call obtained by TMZ revealed more information about Busch’s episode at the GM Charlotte Technical Center on Friday afternoon.
In the call, the calling party told 911 operators that Busch:
“Shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”
The caller added that at the time of the call, Busch was awake and “on the bathroom floor” and asked that responders turn off their sirens and come through.
On Friday morning, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reported that, per anonymous sources, Busch’s health crisis began during a sim session at the GM Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina. Per Reed, Busch was “unresponsive” and taken to a local medical facility.
One moment that was brought back into the spotlight since Busch’s passing came during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International.
During the race, Busch heard over the radio asking for a doctor to meet him after the race for a shot for what FOX Sports’ Play-By-Play voice Mike Joy said was a sinus cold. This past weekend at Dover, Busch said it was a substantial cough, telling the media he was “still not great.”
Since then, this clip has been the center of online speculation about whether or not this factored into his passing, though it is important to note that there is no indication that there is any relationship between his radio communications at The Glen and his passing on Thursday afternoon.
This article will be updated as more information is made available.
