Two-time NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Busch died of complications from a case of pneumonia, his family revealed on Saturday.
According to a statement from Busch’s family, Busch’s death at 41 Thursday was due to “severe pneumonia [that] progressed into sepsis,” Fox News reported.
“The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications.”
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.” @NASCARONFOX
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 23, 2026
It was known Busch had been battling an illness assumed to be relatively benign, if lingering. Busch raised eyebrows, however, when he asked for a “shot” to combat the symptoms over the radio during the May 10 race at Watkins Glen in New York.
A 911 call placed from a North Carolina driving simulator complex on Thursday said Busch felt like he was about to pass out and was “coughing up some blood.”
Kyle Busch, just 10 days ago, while racing, asked his team to ‘find him a doctor.’
Not sure what exactly happened over the past 10 days but he just unexpectedly passed away, earlier today.
He was only 41 years old.
May he Rest in Peace. pic.twitter.com/3U0xSDLCFy pic.twitter.com/o5jTdmJGno
— Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) May 21, 2026
Known for his punchiness and wit, which made him a crowd favorite and earned him the moniker “Rowdy,” Busch won 234 NASCAR races in the sport’s top three divisions, the most of any driver in history.
The last of these wins, in fact, came just shortly before his death; Busch scored a victory at the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ecosave 200 in Dover, Delaware.
“You never know when the last one is,” Busch fatefully said after the win, according to USA Today.
Busch was referring to the fact that wins were coming harder to come by as he was in his 40s — his last Cup win was in 2023.
The NASCAR veteran had been a constant presence near the front of the field since his top-tier debut in 2005.
While he earned a reputation for hard racing, Busch mellowed a bit by the time he won his two Cup championships in 2015 and 2019, leaning into family, fatherhood, and his Christian faith.
Busch leaves behind a wife and two children.
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