NASCAR icon Kyle Busch dies at the age of 41 - ESPN

NASCAR icon Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion who won more races across the sport's three national series than any driver in history, died at the age of 41 on Thursday, the racing series announced.

The Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR issued a joint statement saying that Busch died after being hospitalized earlier in the day as the result of a severe illness, three days before he was to compete at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. No cause of death was given.

«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,» NASCAR said in a statement. «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.»

Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details had not been disclosed by Busch's team or family.

• 2-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion (2015, 2019)
• Ranks 9th on the all-time Cup Series wins list (63)
• Holds record 234 combined wins in NASCAR's top three series
• Holds wins record in O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (102) and Craftsman Truck Series (69)
• Won a Cup Series race in record-breaking 19 consecutive seasons from 2005 to '23
• Most recent win came in the Truck Series at Dover on May 15
• Most recent Cup Series win came June 4, 2023, at World Wide