NASCAR champion Kyle Busch dies at age 41 following illness
Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch died on May 21 after an illness, NASCAR announced.
Kyle Busch , the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who won more than 200 races across the three national series, died on May 21 following an illness, NASCAR announced. Busch was 41. He is survived by his wife Samantha and children Brexton and Lennix.
We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport's greatest and fiercest drivers. He was 41 years old. We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire… pic.
twitter. com/FARIF6OKrw — NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 21, 2026 His family and Richard Childress Racing initially announced that Busch was suffering from a "serious illness" earlier on May 21, nothing that Busch would miss the Cup Series race and Truck Series race in Charlotte this weekend. Busch, from Las Vegas, Nevada, was a once-in-an-era driving prospect who won his first O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race days after his 19th birthday.
A year later, Busch won his first career Cup Series race at California at age 20 with Hendrick Motorsports. Brothers Kyle and Kurt Busch raced against each other in the Cup Series from 2005-22, both amassing Hall of Fame careers. Both were brash racers, unafraid of on-track controversy or conflict.