Kyle Busch’s family says the NASCAR superstar died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis
By Wayne Sterling, Dianne Gallagher, CNN
(CNN) — Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch died from complications of severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, his family announced on Saturday.
“The Family asks for continued understanding and privacy during this difficult time,” Dakota Hunter, Kyle Busch Companies vice president, added.
Sepsis is the body’s “overwhelming and life-threatening response” to an infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The condition can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death. Sepsis can be triggered by any type of infection, even a minor one, and occurs when germs enter a person’s body and multiply, causing illness and damage to organs and tissues.
Busch died Thursday at 41, just hours after his family said he was suffering from a severe illness.
The Associated Press reports Busch was testing at a racing simulator on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, citing several unnamed sources familiar with the situation speaking on condition of anonymity.
Busch coughed up some blood and was experiencing shortness of breath on Wednesday while getting ready for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
According to a 911 call obtained by CNN in response to a request for recordings related to Busch’s medical emergency, a caller – whose name is redacted in the recording – asks for an ambulance to come to a training facility in Concord, North Carolina.
“I’ve got an individual that’s (experiencing) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out and producing a little bit of blood – coughing up some blood,” the caller said.
The caller states that Busch was lying on the bathroom floor and was awake at the time of the call. The caller requested that the ambulances approach the building with sirens off and gave directions on the quickest route to Busch.
The 911 call, made at 5:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, came almost exactly 24 hours before NASCAR, Busch’s family and Richard Childress Racing announced Busch’s death. CNN has bleeped out the address and name of the facility to which the ambulance was called.
On Saturday, Richard Childress Racing unloaded Busch’s car. The team has suspended the use of the No. 8 car and will utilize the No. 33 until Busch’s son, Brexton, is ready to begin racing in NASCAR, the team said Friday.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Devon M. Sayers, Sarah Dewberry, David Close, Kevin Dotson and Kyle Feldscher contributed to this report.
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