Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has died aged 41 after being taken to the hospital with a “severe illness”, though the information has not been independently verified.
In a joint statement, the Busch family, NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing, the team with which Busch competed, said they were “heartbroken” at the reported loss of “a giant of the sport,” Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.
They described him as “a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation”, adding that he had “sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age”.
Busch’s representatives said on May 21 that he had been admitted to the hospital with a “severe illness”, with reports of his death emerging hours later. No official cause of death has been confirmed.
The joint statement also characterised Busch as an “immensely skilled” driver who “cared deeply about the sport and fans”. NASCAR, in a separate post on social media, described him as “one of our sport’s greatest and fiercest drivers”.
Busch, the younger brother of NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch, was in his 22nd full-time season in the sport’s top tier. Over his career, he secured two Cup Series championships and more than 60 race victories.
He had been scheduled to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the United States on Sunday. NASCAR officials have said the event will proceed as planned.
The NASCAR community has also faced other recent tragedies. In December, former driver Greg Biffle, his wife, and two children were among those killed in a plane crash in North Carolina. Three others who died in the incident were described by the organisation as “beloved by many in the NASCAR community”.
By Bakhtiyar Abbasov
