Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion who won more races than anyone across NASCAR’s three national series, has died at 41. The Busch Family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR issued a joint statement Thursday saying that Busch “died after being hospitalized.” No cause of death was given. Busch’s family earlier Thursday said that he was “hospitalized with a ‘severe illness,’” three days before he was to compete at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch won a combined 234 Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Trucks Series races. A “polarizing figure known as ‘Rowdy’ and ‘Wild Thing’ for his post-race fights, regular feuds with other drivers and sometimes outlandish behavior, the multi-talented Busch stormed on the Cup Series scene in 2005 by winning Rookie of the Year” (AP, 5/21). THE ATHLETIC’s Jeff Gluck writes Busch for more than two decades, Busch “captivated and divided NASCAR fans like no other.” He combined his “skill with an unapologetic swagger that entertained, outraged and, most of all, won a whole lot of races” (THE ATHLETIC, 5/21). RACER’s Kelly Crandall writes Busch is “certain to be a first ballot NASCAR Hall of Famer.” He is the winningest driver in both the Craftsman Truck Series (69) and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (102). As a team owner with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series, he has seven owner championships and 98 race wins, which are both series records (RACER, 5/21).
Kyle Busch, winningest driver in NASCAR history, dies at 41
