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Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch died Thursday from complications related to “severe pneumonia [that] progressed into sepsis,” his family revealed in a statement on Saturday.
Vice president of Kyle Busch Companies Dakota Hunter shared the family statement in a news release just days after Busch, 41, tragically died after being hospitalized.
Kyle Busch celebrates his win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Victory Lane at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., on Sept. 5, 2014. (Steve Helber/AP)
“The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications,” the statement read.
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FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass first reported the family’s statement on Saturday.
Busch was hospitalized this week after collapsing in a Chevrolet simulator. A 911 call from the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, obtained by Fox News and OutKick, revealed that he was coughing up blood and experiencing shortness of breath.
According to an unidentified man on the phone, Busch was alert at the time.
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Zone Watermelon x Circle K Chevrolet, is introduced before the NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 3, 2026. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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Busch, a two-time Cup champion and a future Hall of Famer, was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
He’d been in the Cup Series since 2004, making 762 career starts with 63 wins. Busch won the championship in 2015 and 2019, and had 234 victories across all three NASCAR national series.
He is the all-time record-holder for wins in both the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (102) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (69).
Kyle Busch celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, April 23, 2023, in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
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Following news of Busch’s death, NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell held a press conference where he remembered the racing great as an “American badass.”
“Kyle Busch, to me, is an American badass,” O’Donnell said. “Behind the wheel, he’s who you want to be. And I think when you look back at all those things, that’s part of being a race-car driver. That’s part of representing the sport. We’re not always going to agree — if we did, I think people would be really bored. And we certainly had our battles. But I’d give a lot of money to have a few more battles going forward.”
OutKick’s Zach Dean and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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