Kyle Busch, a 2-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, dead at 41

By Jacob Lev, CNN

(CNN) — Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, has died at the age of 41, just hours after his family said he was suffering from a severe illness.

Busch’s family and his team, Richard Childress Racing, announced the news of his death on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, his family posted on social media that Busch was hospitalized with severe illness. The family did not specify the type of illness. He was scheduled to race at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday.

In a statement, NASCAR said it was “heartbroken” by the sudden loss.

“A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans,” the statement said.

“His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal ‘Rowdy Nation.’”

The younger brother of fellow NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch was one of the most recognizable and successful drivers in the history of NASCAR and racked up a win just last weekend.

A driver who often reveled in being the villain and was given the nicknames “Rowdy” and “Wild Thing,” the Las Vegas native, was in the midst of his 22nd season in NASCAR’s top division, credited with 63 victories over 762 race starts, which ranks ninth on the all-time wins list. His two Cup series titles came in 2015 and 2019, while with Joe Gibbs Racing.

His 2015 victory was particularly notable after he broke both of his legs in the opening week of the season and then came back to win the whole series.

Joe Gibbs Racing honored the team’s former driver Thursday by calling Busch a “fierce competitor, an incredible teammate, and, far more importantly, a devoted husband, father, and son. His impact on our organization and on the sport of NASCAR will never be forgotten.”

NASCAR asked for “everyone to respect the family’s privacy and continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Further updates will be shared as appropriate.”

Busch made his Cup series debut in 2005 with Hendrick Motorsports and went on to win Rookie of the Year. Three years later, he joined Joe Gibbs Racing and established himself as “the face of Toyota’s NASCAR endeavors,” according to NASCAR.

In 2023, Busch joined Childress, taking over the No. 8 Chevrolet.

His final Cup Series victory came in June 2023 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. While he was experiencing a rough patch in the Cup Series, Busch was regularly successful in other NASCAR series and was considered one of the greatest drivers in the sport.

Last weekend, Busch competed at Dover, winning the Trucks Series race and later finished 17th in the NASCAR All-Star race.

“You never know when the last one is,” Busch told the NASCAR on FOX broadcast after winning the Trucks Series race.

NASCAR driver and former teammate Denny Hamlin said on X, “Absolutely cannot comprehend this news. We just need to think of his family during this time. We love you KB.”

Former seven-time NASCAR Cup series champion and Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted an emotional tribute to Busch despite describing a “really challenging existence for many years” between the two.

“We luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams. I was super eager for us to get on better terms. But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible. We did some media together also to laugh through some of the things we put each other through many years ago,” Earnhardt said.

“… Kyle was one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. No one can deny that. But he was also a father, a husband, brother, son, and a friend to many. My heart is broken for the Busch family. I will never be able to make sense of this loss but I am thankful that we had found a way to become friends.”

Organizers of this weekend’s Indy 500 honored Busch by highlighting his wins on the famed track.

“Kyle was one of the most dominant racers in IMS (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) history,” the statement read. IMS added that Busch was a “fan favorite” who “understood what racing and winning at Indianapolis means.”

This story has been updated with additional reporting

CNN’s Dianne Gallagher, David Close and Kyle Feldscher contributed to this report.

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