NASCAR legend Kyle Busch dies suddenly at age 41
Kyle Busch, one of the most decorated drivers in NASCAR history, has died at the age of 41, NASCAR announced.
Editor’s note: Click here for the latest information on the death of NASCAR star Kyle Busch.
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was vomiting blood when paramedics responded to the General Motors facility in Concord, North Carolina, the day before he died, according to a 911 call obtained by USA Today.
During the call, a man told the dispatcher that Mr. Bush was awake and in pain on the bathroom floor. He said Bush was vomiting blood, short of breath and extremely feverish. The caller asked that the siren be turned off once emergency personnel arrived.
“I’ve got a guy who’s short of breath and has a really high temperature and thinks he’s going to pass out, but he’s bleeding a little bit and he’s coughing,” the caller told dispatchers.
The caller identified the location as the General Motors Charlotte Technical Center off Speedway Boulevard in Concord, next to Hendrick Motorsports. The Associated Press previously reported that Busch became unresponsive during testing at a Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on May 20, citing people familiar with the situation.
Bush was taken to a hospital in Charlotte. The following morning, May 21, his family posted a statement on his X account saying he was hospitalized with a serious illness and would not compete at Charlotte Motor Speedway that weekend.
That night, NASCAR announced his death. He is 41 years old. The cause of death has not been made public.
Kyle Busch’s health has become more serious in the last few weeks
The 911 call added new details to what was becoming an increasingly alarming picture of Mr. Bush’s health in his final weeks. On May 10, during a Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International, Busch radioed team physician Dr. Bill Heisel near the end of the race to ask his crew to pick him up at the bus after the race. He wanted a shot. He said on the FS1 broadcast that he had been battling sinus infections all week. He finished eighth in that race.
A week later, on May 15, the 69-year-old won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ECOSAVE 200 at Dover.th Busch, who won the Truck Series in his career, talked about the cold in a video. “I can’t say I’m great yet,” he said. “My cough last week was pretty bad.”
He ran in the All-Star Race at Dover on May 17 and finished 17th.th. That was the last race he started.
