Details about a 911 call placed for NASCAR star Kyle Busch — a two-time series champion regarded as one of the sport’s greatest ever drivers — leading up to his death on Thursday have emerged.

The 41-year-old, Busch, who was in his 22nd season in NASCAR’s top division, died suddenly after he had been hospitalised earlier in the day with a “severe illness”.

The Associated Press obtained a 911 call where an unidentified individual explains Busch was feeling short of breath, like he was overheating and was coughing up blood.

The report claims Busch was in the racing simulator when he was taken to hospital after becoming unresponsive.

“I’ve got an individual that’s (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood,” the caller says on the 911 call, according to AP.

NASCAR announced the tragic death on Friday morning, describing it as a “staggering blow to the motorsports community.”

The Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR made a joint statement.

“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 statement reads.

“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.

“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.

 

 

“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.

“During this incredibly difficult time, we ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy and continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Further updates will be shared as appropriate.”

 

 

Just hours before Busch’s death was announced, his social media account posted news of his sudden hospitalisation.

“Kyle has experienced a severe illness resulting in hospitalisation. He is currently undergoing treatment and will not compete in any of his scheduled activities this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. We ask for understanding and privacy as our family navigates this situation,” the post said.

Less than eight hours after that post, the family and NASCAR revealed news of his death.

Just six days before his death, Busch won his final race, clinching a Truck series victory at Dover.

Asked after winning about why every victory still remains so special, he told the reporter: “Because you never know when the last one is.”

Busch had been battling what was thought to be a bad sinus infection — he asked for his team to find a doctor during a race at Watkins Glen just 10 days ago.

He told reporters he asked for the doctor due to a “substantial” cough.

NASCAR boss pays tribute to ‘badass’ Kyle Busch

NASCAR chief Steve O’Donnell paid tribute to “American badass” Busch on Friday.

O’Donnell spoke to reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he said that after some discussion the Coca-Cola 600 will go ahead as scheduled on Sunday.

“Kyle Busch would probably be pretty pissed off if we didn’t race,” O’Donnell said. “So we’re going to honor his memory and make sure people know what he was all about.”

Busch’s family asked for privacy and O’Donnell said that out of respect for them he was not going to answer questions about Busch’s health or cause of death.

O’Donnell said he’d received a phone call on Thursday morning telling him “things weren’t great” with Busch.

His family and his Richard Childress Racing team had announced Busch’s hospitalization and withdrawal from Sunday’s race Thursday morning and hours later announced his death.

“Out of respect for the family, and they’ve asked for privacy, I’m not going to address any of that,” O’Donnell said.

Instead he focused on Busch’s legacy in a sport he approached with passion.

“At the end of the day, he would always have an opinion, but it always came from a place of trying to improve the sport,” O’Donnell said.

“This sport is a badass sport. Kyle Busch, to me, is an American badass. We certainly had our battles, but I would give a lot of money to have a few more battles going forward.” O’Donnell’s comments echoed the heartfelt tributes from Busch’s stunned NASCAR colleagues.

Dale Earnhardt Jr, an on-track rival involved in several on-track incidents with Busch later became a friend.

“Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years,” Earnhardt said in a social media post, calling Busch “one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history”.

“But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams.

– ‘Heartbroke’ –

“I was super eager for us to get on better terms. But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible. I will never be able to make sense of this loss, but I am thankful that we had found a way to become friends.”

The fiery Busch also famously feuded with driver Joey Logano, the two coming to blows on a pit road in Las Vegas in 2017.

“Heartbroke,” Logano said of his reaction to Busch’s death in an interview with Charlotte television station WCNC.

“The bottom line is he is one of the best drivers ever to sit in a race car. And he impacted our sport in so many ways, such a huge personality. It’s a big reminder of how fragile life is.”

Just how far Busch’s influence extended beyond NASCAR was clear Thursday when the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes honored him with a video tribute and a moment of silence before their playoff opener against the Montreal Canadiens.

A foundation launched by Busch and his wife to support couples struggling with infertility saw donations rise on Thursday night, many for $18.08 in recognition of the number 18 and number 8 cars he drove and marked as given in Busch’s memory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Busch won NASCAR Cup Series titles in 2015 and 2019 and amassed 63 victories in his career — a figure that leaves him in ninth on the circuit’s all-time list.

He was also dominant in NASCAR’s other two national series, with 102 wins in the O’Reilly Auto Part Series and 69 victories in the Craftsman Truck Series.

NASCAR is one of the most popular motorsports in the United States, primarily featuring high-speed oval track racing where drivers pilot purpose-built stock cars at speeds often in excess of 200mph (321 km/h) at venues such as Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

The sport’s roots date back to the Prohibition era, when producers of illegal moonshine souped up their cars in order to evade law enforcement.

Busch began his career in NASCAR Cup racing with Hendrick Motorsports before joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, where he spent the bulk of his career before switching to Richard Childress Racing in 2023.

Known for his fearless, aggressive racing style, Busch earned the nickname “Rowdy” — a reference to a character in the 1990 Tom Cruise movie “Days of Thunder”.

 

 

Busch’s fellow NASCAR drivers led the tributes to the late star.

“There aren’t really words for today,” Hyak Motorsports driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wrote on X.

“I’ve raced against Kyle for a long time, and anyone who’s lined up next to him knows exactly what made him special, he gave you everything he had, every single lap, and he made all of us better for it.

“Rest easy, Rowdy. The sport won’t be the same without you.”

Stenhouse was involved in one of the most infamous incidents of Busch’s career during the 2024 All-Star Race, punching Busch to the ground after accusing him of causing a high-speed crash during the event.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin added: “Absolutely cannot comprehend this news. We just need to think of his family during this time.”