He was cremated in Mooresville, North Carolina, about 30 miles outside of Charlotte, where he was preparing to participate in the Coca-Cola 600 when he died at age 41 on Thursday, May 21.

The death certificate also supported his family’s statement, released two days after his death, which said he died of pneumonia that progressed “into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications.”

Busch suffered a “chain of events” that led to his death, beginning with bacterial pneumonia, which he had for “days to weeks” before he died.

Busch was taken to the hospital on Wednesday, May 20, after being found unresponsive in a race simulator. 911 audio released by TMZ Sports reveals he was also “coughing up blood” before help arrived.

His family announced on Thursday morning that he was hospitalized with a “severe illness” and would be unable to compete that weekend. NASCAR broke the news of his death just hours later.

“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,” the organization wrote in a statement via X. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community.”

Busch is survived by his wife, Samantha, and their two children: son Brexton, 11, and daughter Lennix, 4.

Months before Kyle’s death, Samantha, 39, admitted on her “Certified Oversharer” podcast that she had discussed the possibility of her husband’s untimely death with him — and her plan to possibly have another baby.

“Here’s something I’ve never told anybody,” Samantha told guest Ashley George during a November 2025 episode. “I’m a certified over-sharer. So a lot of people ask me what we have done with our embryos because we still have some. I can’t part with them…I don’t know what else to do at this point because I love them so much and can’t make a decision.”

Samantha continued, “Kyle was like, ‘We’re done having kids,’ and I said, ‘But what if?’ I told him the most morbid story the other day. I was like, ‘What if you passed? I would have to have another kid to be connected to you and name that child after you.’”

Source: usmagazine