Kyle Busch died of pneumonia leading to sepsis, according to a statement provided by the Busch family on Saturday morning.

"The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications,” the family said in a statement. "The Family asks for continued understanding and privacy during this difficult time."

Busch, 41, died on Thursday after a brief illness. On Wednesday, he began suffering a medical emergency at the General Motors Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, N.C. An unidentified male at the scene called 911, according to a recording obtained by TMZ, saying Busch was suffering “shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out and is producing a little bit of blood — coughing up some blood.”

Busch was taken to a Charlotte hospital, per the Associated Press, and on Thursday morning his family and Richard Childress Racing announced he would miss this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 because of an unspecified “severe illness.” At 5:40 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon, NASCAR announced publicly that Busch had died, shocking the racing community. 

“Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch,” the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR said in a statement. “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.’”

Twelve days prior to his death, Busch had complained of sinus issues while racing at Watkins Glen, and asked for a doctor to visit him in his hauler after the race. However, he continued to race afterward, even winning a Truck Series race in Dover one week ago. 

The winningest driver in history across all of NASCAR’s three national series, Busch won two Cup series championships and 234 races in his career. A team owner as well as driver, he made his mark on the sport of NASCAR in innumerable ways, and had been training his son Brexton to follow in his footsteps. Busch was in the midst of his 22nd Cup season, driving for Richard Childress Racing. 

Busch is survived by his wife, Samantha, children Brexton and Lennix, brother Kurt and many other family members.

NASCAR will be running the Coca-Cola 600 as scheduled this weekend. Austin Hill will be driving Busch’s car. 

NASCAR and its teams don’t retire numbers; they reserve them. In the wake of the death of Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing has elected to remove the No. 8 from the track for the time being, with the hopes that it will be waiting for another Busch down the line. 

“Richard Childress Racing has elected to suspend use of the No. 8 and will run the No. 33 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and beyond,” the team said in a statement. “Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylized No. 8 and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for his fans and the NASCAR industry. No one can carry it forward to the level that he did. The No. 8 is reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing.”

Brexton Busch, Kyle’s 11-year-old son, has been racing on various circuits since 2020. He’s won more than 100 races across various states. 

Kyle Busch died on Thursday after suffering a medical episode Wednesday evening at the General Motors Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, N.C. An exact cause of death has not yet been revealed. 

Jonathan Bachman via Getty Images

Just a few days before his death, Busch spoke about his record 234 wins across all of NASCAR’s three national series, and hinted at Brexton’s potential. “All records are made to be broken, right?” Busch said. “So maybe it’ll stick around for a long, long time. Maybe somebody out there one day will break it. Maybe I’m training that young guy that’s going to break it, my son Brexton.”

While he drove the No. 8 in the final three-plus years of his career, Busch is best known for driving the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. The No. 8 has had various drivers over the years, most notably Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the early 2000s. Earnhardt Jr. left the number behind when he moved from Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Hendrick Motorsports. 

NASCAR controls all cars’ numbers, but assigns them to its various teams to use and license as they see fit. 

A quarter-century ago, Richard Childress Racing faced a similar tragic situation when Childress’ driver Dale Earnhardt died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Childress opted to hold onto the 3, putting then-rookie Kevin Harvick into the car and re-branding it with the No. 29. Harvick would go on to have a Hall of Fame career, while the 3 would remain off the track until Childress brought it back for his grandson, Austin Dillon, to run starting in 2014. Dillon continues to run the 3 to this day.

Austin Hill will replace Busch, beginning Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600.