Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch died from complications related to “severe pneumonia [that] progressed into sepsis.”
The Busch family released the cause of death Saturday, per Fox News.
Busch, 41, died Thursday after being hospitalized.
Vice president of Kyle Busch Companies Dakota Hunter shared the family statement in a news release just days after Busch, 41, tragically died after being hospitalized.
“The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications,” the family’s statement shared by Vice president of Kyle Busch Companies Dakota Hunter read.
FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass first reported the family’s statement Saturday.
Busch was hospitalized after collapsing in a Chevrolet simulator.
A 911 call from the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office revealed he was coughing up blood and experiencing shortness of breath.
According to an unidentified man on the phone, Busch was alert at the time.
Busch was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
He had been in the Cup Series since 2004, making 762 career starts with 63 wins. Busch won the championship in 2015 and 2019, and had 234 victories across all three NASCAR national series.
He is the all-time record-holder for wins in both the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (102) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (69).
Following news of Busch’s death, NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell held a press conference and remembered the racing great as an “American badass.”
“Kyle Busch, to me, is an American badass,” O’Donnell said. “Behind the wheel, he’s who you want to be. And I think when you look back at all those things, that’s part of being a race-car driver. That’s part of representing the sport. We’re not always going to agree — if we did, I think people would be really bored. And we certainly had our battles. But I’d give a lot of money to have a few more battles going forward.”
