Kyle Busch’s family releases cause of death in 1st comment since passing

The family of Kyle Busch announced the cause of death of the Las Vegas native and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion in a statement released Saturday morning.

The statement reads: “The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications. The Family asks for continued understanding and privacy during this difficult time.”

It’s the first comment from the family after Busch suddenly died Thursday at 41 in a joint statement with Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR. No cause of death was given at the time.

Earlier Thursday, the family released a statement saying Busch had been hospitalized after suffering a sudden “severe illness.”

911 call

In a 911 call released Friday morning by provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina, an ambulance was requested for a medical emergency at the GM Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina on Wednesday evening.

“I’ve got an individual that’s, uh, shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he is going to pass out, and is, uh, is producing a little bit of blood,” the caller said Wednesday evening. “Coughing up some blood.

“He is awake,” the caller continued when asked if the person was awake. “He’s awake. He’s on the bathroom floor right now.”

Busch was not identified by name in the 911 call released.

“We are 24 hours from getting a phone call and out of respect for the family, and they have asked for privacy, I am not going to address anything,” NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell said in a Friday news conference at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

“But transparency is something that we all believe in. So in due time I think that everyone will be comfortable with where things stand,” O’Donnell continued as he declined to answer questions about a cause of death or health problems Busch was dealing with.

During the NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, New York on May 10, Busch radioed his team requesting to see a doctor and receive a “shot” after the race. The FS1 TV broadcast said Busch had been battling a sinus cold.

Busch later told reporters on May 16 at Dover Motor Speedway in Delaware he was still dealing with the sinus cold.

“I’m still not great,” Busch told reporters at Dover. “The cough was pretty substantial (during the Watkins Glen race).”

Driver reaction

Many of the NASCAR Cup Series drivers spoke with reporters Saturday at Charlotte during scheduled media availability before the practice session.

Drivers reflected with stories and memories of Busch, and reflected on his impact and legacy of the sport. Others commented on how sudden Busch passed.

“Kyle is only five years older than me. You don’t think about that type of stuff,” said three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano, who had feuded with Busch in the past, which included a postrace brawl on pit road following an on-track incident at the 2017 Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“Immediately I started thinking about what are the things I’m putting off healthwise that I should be attacking right now,” Logano continued. “I’m not making speculations of anything that happened with Kyle, I just know personally inside — and all of us should be thinking that too — is we shouldn’t put anything off. We should hit everything head-on if we can, mend relationships if we can, hug our loved ones while we can because you just never know.”

Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe said the health aspect of Busch’s passing was a “huge wakeup call.” He told reporters that in December he had pneumonia and pushed off going to the doctor.

“My wife talks all the time about how (we) don’t get a break and it’s hard to take a week off. We’re all pretty hard-headed in the sense that we don’t want to go to the doctor,” Briscoe told reporters.

“I’m guilty of it. … I didn’t go for a long time. I finally went to and found out I had it. It’s crazy how fast that stuff can get you. It’s a wake-up call for all of us. … It’s hard just with the schedule we live. I think it’s certainly a reminder for all of us if you’re not feeling good, you should probably need to get checked up.”