Overview
- Busch stopped responding while doing a Chevrolet simulator test in Concord and was taken to a Charlotte hospital on May 21, according to reports and people with knowledge of the situation.
- The family, NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing confirmed his death on May 22 and said he had been hospitalized for a 'grave illness'.
- No medical cause has been released, and some news reports described recent flu-like and respiratory symptoms and a 911 recording that mentioned coughing up blood, though those accounts remain unconfirmed.
- Across more than two decades he won two NASCAR Cup Series championships and a record 234 races across the three national series, including 63 Cup victories, marking him as one of the sport's most successful drivers.
- His death has left teams, drivers and fans mourning as organizers and crews adjust plans for the Coca-Cola 600, and he is survived by his wife Samantha and children Brexton and Lennix.