Former motorsports star Danica Patrick has joined the growing list of people paying emotional tributes to Kyle Busch following the NASCAR legend's shock death. Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion and father of two, was hospitalized on Thursday with an unspecified severe illness. Hours later, NASCAR announced that he had died at the age of 41.
Busch, who competed in more than 760 races during a storied 24-year career, is survived by his wife, Samantha, and their two children, Brexton, 11, and Lennix, four. Patrick, the former IndyCar and NASCAR driver, admitted she has been left stunned and described Busch's death as a 'devastating loss' for his family and the NASCAR community.
The 44-year-old said on OutKick's 'Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich' on Friday: 'I think that we're all just shocked. We're sad. You know, it's just something that no one expected. When I first heard something was wrong, I thought he was driving something, but it was something completely different. It's just a devastating loss for Samantha and Brexton and Lennix and Kurt and his parents and the whole family and for the NASCAR and racing community. Cause love him or hate him, Kyle Busch was a figure, he was a polarizing figure and he was an incredible driver that will go down as being one of the greatest NASCAR drivers ever. That's a loss in another way, too.'
Donald Trump also paid tribute to Busch and his family on Friday night, praising the driver as a 'true talent' as he addressed the tragic passing. The president previously commended Busch and his wife Samantha's campaigning for affordable in vitro fertilization treatment. 'The LEGENDARY NASCAR Driver Kyle Busch tragically and unexpectedly passed away yesterday,' the president began in a post shared to Truth Social. 'He was a true talent who loved NASCAR and its fans. Kyle was a WINNER! He was a two time Cup Champion, and holds the All Time Record for WINS in NASCAR’s Top Three series, and even won another just last weekend. Kyle’s wife, Samantha, and their two beautiful children are in our thoughts and prayers. Samantha was at the White House in October, for IVF. She truly loved Kyle!' He added: 'Rest in Peace Kyle Busch. You will always be a LEGEND!'
Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, as per the Associated Press. While a cause of death has not yet emerged, Busch was struggling with something in his final weeks. He radioed for medical assistance from his car in the middle of one of his final NASCAR races on May 10 in upstate New York, just days before his death. Another eerie clip has emerged from May 16 of Busch being asked if he had recovered from what he thought was simply a nasty cough. 'I had a pretty - you can kind of still hear it, I'm still not great,' Busch said, waving his hand to his face as he spoke to Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. 'But er, the cough was pretty substantial.'
In a clip from Busch's May 10 race, he was asking for a doctor to urgently meet him to give him 'a shot'. With 38 laps to go in the NASCAR Cup Series game, Busch told his team over the radio: 'Can somebody try to find Bill Heisel? He's the kindred doctor guy. Tell him I need him after the race, please.' He was then asked whether he needed the doctor at his car or his bus, to which he replied: 'Uh, bus. I'm going to need a shot.' According to the TV broadcast, Busch had been struggling with a sinus cold that was exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes at the New York road course. Busch went on to claim his record fifth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series trophy that day, despite clearly still struggling with illness.
Following his death, which came just six days after the victory, a heartbreaking clip of Busch's post-race interview resurfaced. After earning his 69th career Trucks Series race win with the triumph at Dover, Busch was asked how many races he wanted to win in his career before he stops racing. 'You take whatever you can get, man,' Busch said. 'You never know when the last one is going to be, so cherish them all - trust me.' It remains unclear whether his sinus issues and cough were related to the cause of his death.
In the wake of his shock passing, tributes have flooded in from NASCAR and across the racing world, joining the president in remembering the racing icon. 'Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch,' NASCAR shared in a statement on behalf of Busch's family and his team, Richard Childress Racing. 'A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans. Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR's highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series. His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal "Rowdy Nation". Our thoughts are with Samantha, Brexton and Lennix, Kyle and Samantha's parents, Kurt and all of Kyle's family, Richard and Judy Childress, everyone at Richard Childress Racing, his teammates, friends and fans. NASCAR lost a giant of the sport today, far too soon. During this incredibly difficult time, we ask everyone to respect the family's privacy and continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.'
