Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and racing icon, died suddenly on Thursday. He was 41.

Busch was supposed to race Friday night in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Sunday night in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

But Busch’s family announced on Thursday that he had been hospitalized with an undisclosed severe illness. He died later that evening. A cause of death will be determined in the days ahead.

Channel 2 sports director Zach Klein will be following this story and bring you any new developments, on Channel 2 Action News starting at 3:00 p.m.

Busch has a winning history across the country, including at metro Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway.

He made his Atlanta Cup Series debut 22 years ago, but that didn’t quite go as planned. He completed just 44 laps and finished 43rd out of 43 cars on the track.

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That didn’t affect his love for the track and the Atlanta fans who showed up to cheer him on.

Throughout his career, Busch racked up 14 wins at EchoPark Speedway, previously known as Atlanta Motor Speedway.

His most recent win was in February 2026 in the Truck Series. Of his Atlanta victories, two were in the Cup Series: one in 2008 and the other in 2013.

Channel 2 Action News got to hang out with Busch earlier this year as he gave back to the community by surprising Ms. Smallwood and her 5th grade class at Lanier Elementary School.

Ms. Smallwood had gone viral for her NASCAR themed classroom and lesson plans, which helped the students learn in new and exciting ways.

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Here’s a full list of all of Busch’s wins in metro Atlanta:

• 3/9/08 – Kobalt Tools 500
• 10/29/05 – EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200
• 10/27/07 – EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200
• 3/7/08 – American Commercial Lines 200
• 3/7/09 – American Commercial Lines 200
• 9/1/13 – AdvoCare 500
• 2/27/16 – Heads Up Georgia 250
• 3/4/17 – Rinnai 250
• 2/23/19 – Ultimate Tailgating 200
• 3/20/21 – Fr8Auctions 200
• 7/10/21 – Credit Karma Money 250
• 2/24/24 – Fr8 200
• 2/22/25 – Fr8 200
• 2/21/26 – Fr8 200