NASCAR champion Kyle Busch’s cause of death revealed by family

Indy 500 defending champion Alex Palou pays tribute to Kyle Busch's legacy and discusses the somber mood ahead of this year's Indy 500 race.

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch died Thursday from complications related to "severe pneumonia [that] progressed into sepsis," his family revealed in a statement on Saturday. 

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. 

Kyle Busch celebrates his win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Victory Lane at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., on Sept. 5, 2014. (Steve Helber/AP)

"The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications," the statement read.

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FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass first reported the family’s statement on Saturday. 

Busch was hospitalized this week after collapsing in a Chevrolet simulator. A 911 call from the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, obtained by Fox News and OutKick, revealed that he was coughing up blood and experiencing shortness of breath. 

According to an unidentified man on the phone, Busch was alert at the time. 

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Zone Watermelon x Circle K Chevrolet, is introduced before the NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 3, 2026. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

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Busch, a two-time Cup champion and a future Hall of Famer, was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor