Two-time Nascar champion Kyle Busch died at the age of 41 on Thursday after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, his family announced. The driver, who had been preparing for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, passed away a day after collapsing in a Chevrolet simulator.
Medical Details Released
Dakota Hunter, vice-president of Kyle Busch Companies, stated in a news release that the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday. Sepsis is a life-threatening emergency where the body's response to infection damages its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Typically, the immune system releases chemicals to fight pathogens, but in sepsis the response becomes overactive, causing widespread inflammation, microscopic blood clots, and leaky blood vessels.
Final Days and Racing Career
Busch had been racing with what was thought to be a sinus cold at Watkins Glen on 10 May, radioing his team for a doctor's "shot" after the race. He bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend and finished 17th in the All-Star race on Sunday. On Wednesday, while testing in a Chevrolet simulator in Concord, North Carolina, he became unresponsive and was taken to a hospital in Charlotte. An emergency call reported shortness of breath, heat, potential fainting, and coughing up blood. Busch won 234 races across Nascar's top three series over two decades, more than any driver in history.
All 39 drivers in Sunday's race will carry a black No. 8 decal on their cars to honor Busch.
