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.
Kyle Busch made the move from Hendrick to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008 and won his first Cup Series title in 2015 despite missing 11 races with a leg injury. That year, Busch made the playoffs after winning four races in 15 regular-season events before making the Championship 4 and winning the finale at Homestead-Miami.
Busch won his second Cup Series championship in 2019, bookending a five-year stretch where he won 27 races along with the two titles.
He made a stunning move in 2023 to Richard Childress Racing after 15 seasons at JGR and being synonymous with the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota. Busch’s first season at RCR started with a surge, three wins over the first 15 races in the No. 8 Chevrolet.
But Busch struggled since, going more than two seasons without a win. Busch’s public persona has lightened over the last couple years as he reached his 40s and his son Brexton pursued the start of his own racing career.
Busch’s career finished with two Cup Series championships, the 2009 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship, 63 Cup Series wins, 102 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins and 69 Craftsman Truck Series wins.
His final NASCAR national series victory came at Dover on May 15. Busch celebrated at the start-finish line as he had so many times after taking the win — with a bow in front of the crowd, checkered flag in hand.
FOX reporter Amanda Busick asked Busch on the frontstretch during his winner’s interview why winning and celebrating never gets old.
“Because,” Busch said, “you never know when the last one is.”
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kyle Busch dies at age 41, was NASCAR Cup champion twice