Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who died May 21 at age 41, had been battling bacterial pneumonia for “days to weeks” before his death, according to his death certificate.
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The document, obtained by multiple media outlets on Wednesday, paints a grim picture of his final hours.
Busch’s pneumonia progressed into sepsis roughly one day before he died, and the sepsis then triggered a cascade of additional organ failure. The sepsis led to disseminated intravascular coagulation — a dangerous condition in which small clots form throughout the bloodstream and cut off blood flow to vital organs. From there, severe bleeding sent his body into hemorrhagic shock.
The death certificate noted Busch had been experiencing shortness of breath before his death. He died after he was rushed to a hospital following what his family described at the time as a “sudden illness.”
On Sunday, May 10, near the end of a Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, Busch radioed into his crew asking a doctor to give him a “shot” when he finished the race. According to the TV broadcast, Busch had been struggling with a sinus cold exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes at the New York road course.
Five days later, Busch won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in Dover. Comments from his post-race interview resurfaced as news of his death spread, when he was asked how many races he wants to win in his career before he stops racing.
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“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.”
On May 20, a 911 caller reported that Busch was coughing up blood and struggling to breathe before he was rushed to a North Carolina hospital after being found unresponsive inside a racing simulator.
He died at 4:37 p.m. May 21, per the death certificate. His family and NASCAR released a joint statement confirming his death about an hour later.
Busch was a Las Vegas native who won NASCAR Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019 and accumulated 63 Cup Series victories over a two-decade career, making him one of the most decorated drivers in the sport’s modern era.
NASCAR and the racing community have been mourning his loss since the announcement of his death last week. The sport’s leadership pledged support to Busch’s family, and RCR announced it would preserve his No. 8 car number for his son.
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