Kyle Busch’s death certificate reveals tragic ‘chain of events’

Busch died on May 21, one day after 911 was called to a training facility where the racer was overheating, struggling to breathe and coughing up blood

Published May 28, 2026  •  Last updated 2 hours ago  •  3 minute read

Signage is seen honouring the late Kyle Busch ahead of practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 22, 2026 in Concord, North Carolina. Photo by David Jensen /Getty Images

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Details surrounding Kyle Busch’s shocking death last week have been confirmed.

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The NASCAR driver was initially believed to have been dealing with a week-long sinus cold in the days leading up to his death but it was so much worse, according to his death certificate, obtained by Us Weekly.

‘Chain of events’

Busch, 41, suffered a “chain of events” which ultimately led to his death, starting with bacterial pneumonia, which he had for “days to weeks” before he died, which then developed into sepsis, the certificate noted.

The sepsis resulted in disseminated intravascular coagulation, or small clots that form in the bloodstream and block small vessels, restricting blood flow to the organs.

That led to hemorrhagic shock, which is caused by severe internal or external blood loss.

He was cremated after he died, Us also reported.

Busch died on May 21, one day after 911 was called to a training facility where the racer was overheating, struggling to breathe and coughing up blood.

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Busch’s family said in a statement days after his passing that Busch died of “severe pneumonia that had progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications.”

He is survived by his wife, Samantha, and their two children, son Brexton, 11, and daughter Lennix, 4.

(L-R) NASCAR Hall of Famer and RCR team owner, Richard Childress, Samantha Busch (wife) Lennix Busch, Brexton and NASCAR Chief Executive Officer Steve O’Donnell stand on the grid during the remembrance ceremony for Kyle Busch. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) Photo by Jonathan Bachman /Getty Images

NASCAR announced Busch’s death Thursday evening, mere hours after his family announced he would be unable to compete in the upcoming Coca-Cola 600 following his hospitalization for “a severe illness.”

“We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport’s greatest and fiercest drivers,” the organization wrote in a statement on X. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community.”

A NASCAR fan displays a #8 flag during the remembrance ceremony for Kyle Busch, who passed away suddenly at the age of 41, from the grandstands prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, 2026 in Concord, North Carolina. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) Photo by Jonathan Bachman /Getty Images

Fellow racers and fans paid tribute to the late driver, including rival Brad Keselowski, who recalled that Busch appeared under the weather in the days before his death.

NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. has since revealed his final text exchange Busch — the day before he died.

“I was texting with him the day before he passed away about getting together this Thursday to bring his seat for his late model over to my shop,” Earnhardt Jr. said on his podcast “Dale Jr. Download,” detailing how they had agreed Busch would drive the vehicle in the CARS Tour, which Dale himself drove from 1999 until 2007,

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Earnhardt Jr. then became emotional, saying he has a “hard time believing” that Busch is gone.

“We know who he is on the racetrack. We know how he is on the racetrack and in the media and so forth — what he was like at the track with the suit on and in that environment,” he said.

“But hearing how he interacted and how he was to others, the joke they may have shared in a text … I’ve really enjoyed learning who he was away from the track and how he interacted and engaged, or treated or talked to other people, and it’s been good.”

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He added: “When he passed away this past weekend, we heard a lot of drivers say, ‘He was my hero. I wanted to emulate him. I wanted to be like him.’

“And I know that that would have meant the world to him.”

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