Kyle Busch’s cause of death will be released ‘in due time,’ NASCAR CEO says
Right now is not the time to divulge the health issues that ultimately led to NASCAR legend Kyle Busch’s death, NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell told reporters Friday.
But answers will come “in due time,” he said.
O’Donnell held a news conference in the Charlotte Motor Speedway media center Friday afternoon — a setting in which the 30-plus-year NASCAR employee listed Busch’s many accomplishments and shared personal stories of the two-time Cup Series champion.
But he also made clear that this moment was no time to disclose the specifics of the “severe illness” that led to Busch’s hospitalization and ultimately his death Thursday.
“You know, we’re 24 hours from getting a phone call,” O’Donnell said. “And out of respect for the family, and they’ve asked for privacy, I’m not going to address any of that.”
He added: “You guys who have known me know that transparency is something that we all believe in. So in due time, I think everyone will be comfortable with where things stand.”
O’Donnell added that NASCAR is looking into other moments leading up to Busch’s death. His hospitalization, after all, took place a little over a week after Busch told his crew chief over the radio during a Cup race at Watkins Glen that he wasn’t feeling well, and asked his doctor to give him “a shot” after he finished the race.
During that very race, the FOX broadcast said Busch had been struggling with a sinus infection. He still, however, finished that Cup race with a Top 10. A week later, at Dover, Busch won the Truck Series race. It was last race win of his career — his 234th win across all three of NASCAR’s national series, the most all-time.
When asked whether NASCAR will do an investigation into the aforementioned moments — ensuring that not only Busch but all drivers are taking care of themselves — O’Donnell didn’t hesitate.
“Like I said earlier, now is not the time to talk about that,” he said. He added, “(You) know that we always do that, and we’ll continue to do that. And we’ll do what’s right by Kyle’s family.”
The Busch family includes Kyle’s wife, Samantha; his son, Brexton; daughter, Lennix; and his brother, Kurt.
Emergency calls obtained by The Charlotte Observer detailed what was happening inside GM Charlotte Technical Center the day the 41-year-old driver reportedly fell ill in a Concord racing simulator. A man said Busch was “coughing up some blood” and said he looked like “he’s going to pass out” at 5:32 p.m. Wednesday. Another caller added that Busch was awake on the bathroom floor with shortness of breath and was “very hot.”
Despite the tragedy, in brief discussions with Busch’s race team and NASCAR leaders and the Busch family, O’Donnell said it was never much of a question that the sport would race on this weekend at Charlotte. That includes the Truck Series race Friday evening, the O’Reilly Series race Saturday and the Cup race — the famed Coca-Cola 600 — on Sunday.
Why?
“Kyle Busch would probably be pretty pissed off if we didn’t race,” O’Donnell said, smiling. “So we’re going to honor his memory and make sure people know what he was all about.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 6:27 PM.
