As fans and the NASCAR community continued searching for answers over what exactly happened to Kyle Busch and what led to his sudden death, a statement from the Busch family has now shed light on the medical cause behind his passing.
Bob Pockrass shared a post on X revealing, “Statement from Kyle Busch family on what caused his death: “The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications.”
Busch first developed pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection that attacks the lungs and can make breathing increasingly difficult because the lungs become inflamed and fill with fluid or other infection-related buildup.
That chain reaction can lead to sepsis. Sepsis occurs when the body’s response to infection begins attacking itself.
In Busch’s case, it appears the pneumonia reached a point where it triggered sepsis, and the situation escalated faster than doctors could control.
Back at Watkins Glen, Busch had radioed from inside his car asking for a doctor after the race and saying he needed a shot. Then, ahead of the Dover race weekend, when reporters asked how he was feeling, Busch admitted the sinus issue persisted and that coughing persisted.
Busch experienced shortness of breath, felt as though his body was overheating, and was coughing up blood the day before his death, according to a 911 call received.
During the emergency call placed from the General Motors training facility, an unidentified caller told dispatchers, “I’ve got an individual that’s got a shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and he’s producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”
Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex, and the caller informed dispatchers, “He is awake,” according to audio released by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office.
Busch was eventually transported to a hospital in Charlotte, where he died on May 21.
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