NASCAR legend Kyle Busch, who is a two-time Cup Series champion, has passed away.

He was 41.

“Busch’s death, which was announced by the Busch family, NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing, marked a sudden, staggering blow to the motorsports community. His team had indicated earlier Thursday that Busch had been hospitalized with a severe illness,” NASCAR said in a press release.

“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,” the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing, and NASCAR said in a joint statement.

“Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch. 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,” it continued.

No cause of death was given.

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“Severe Illness” Hospitalizes NASCAR Legend, Will Miss Upcoming Race

ESPN shared further:

Busch ranked 24th in the Cup Series standings this season, with two top-10 finishes in 12 races. The Las Vegas native won championships in 2015 and 2019. Busch is in his fourth season at Richard Childress Racing after winning titles with Joe Gibbs Racing.

His last win came in 2023, his first with RCR.

One of NASCAR's most polarizing personalities, Busch has won 234 races across the sport's three national series, more than any driver in history.

He has won 63 Cup Series races, including the 2018 Coca-Cola 600.

"Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR's highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series," NASCAR said in its statement. "His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal 'Rowdy Nation.'

"Our thoughts are with Samantha, Brexton and Lennix, Kyle and Samantha's parents, Kurt and all of Kyle's family, Richard and Judy Childress, everyone at Richard Childress Racing, his teammates, friends and fans. NASCAR lost a giant of the sport today, far too soon."

"Kyle Thomas Busch was born May 2, 1985 into a racing family in Las Vegas. His father, Tom, was a mechanic who raced locally after he and his wife, Gaye, relocated from Schaumburg, Illinois. His brother, Kurt, was seven years older and set a competitive benchmark for him to aspire to on the track," NASCAR stated.

"Kyle Busch followed many of the same steps that his brother did in accelerating up the racing ladder — family go-karts on makeshift tracks in cul-de-sacs and parking lots, Legends Cars at the Vegas bullring before a move to full-bodied Late Model competition," it continued.

NASCAR has more:

Kurt hinted at the impact his brother would make in 2001: “You think I’m a pretty good race car driver? Wait until you see my brother. He’s the best driver in the family.”

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Kyle Busch’s path to NASCAR was also in line with his brother’s career arc, and Kyle joined his team when he signed with team owner Jack Roush as a 16-year-old junior in high school. That deal was derailed shortly after it began, when NASCAR raised its minimum age requirements to 18 for national-series competition in 2001.

The rule-mandated break from Roush also gave the younger Busch an opportunity to “step out of the shadow of Kurt,” he said, to forge his own identity. “I need to be my own person and make my own way and show everybody that I can drive,” he told the Associated Press in 2003, the same year he signed on to Rick Hendrick’s organization.

Showing everybody his talent came quickly. Busch made his O’Reilly Series debut for Hendrick on May 24, 2003, finishing second to Matt Kenseth at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He made a splash when he entered the series full-time the next year, winning five races and finishing second overall to Martin Truex Jr.

As those victories began to accumulate, Busch created what would become a patented celebration, punctuating each win with a showman’s bow. The gesture served a tribute to his roots as a Vegas native but also a flourish like a magician appearing from the smoke of another triumphant burnout.

Busch reached the Cup Series with a six-race audition in 2004 before a full-fledged rookie campaign the next year, paired with crew chief Alan Gustafson in the No. 5 Chevrolet. He became the premier series’ youngest winner in his 31st Cup start, prevailing at Auto Club Speedway for the first of four wins he’d collect in his three full seasons with Hendrick.

Busch made what would become a pivotal move after Hendrick signed Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the 2008 season, aligning with Coach Joe Gibbs and Toyota in another blockbuster deal. Busch was already becoming an established Cup Series star, but the combination of his colorful No. 18 car with M&M’s sponsorship became one of the sport’s most recognizable.

 

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