A moment of silence was observed before the NASCAR Truck Series race May 22 at Charlotte in honor of Kyle Busch, the popular driver who died at an area hospital the day before.
911 calls indicate Busch was short of breath, overheated and “coughing up some blood” May 20 at a Chevrolet driving simulator in Concord, North Carolina, where Charlotte Motor Speedway is housed. Busch died May 21 after being hospitalized with what was described as a “serious illness.” He was 41.
An Associated Press report said Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and winner of the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, was found unresponsive in the driving simulator. Busch had been battling health issues for some time before that, calling for medical assistance near the end of the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen on May 10 (he still came in eighth, his best finish of the season).
Known as “Rowdy” by his passionate fans for his similar attitude, Busch was a beloved force across all parts of the NASCAR circuit. He holds the record for most wins in the second-tier O’Reilly Series (102) and the Truck Series (69), and his 234 victories across the sport’s three national series are the most ever. Busch won the 2009 O’Reilly Series championship when it was the Nationwide Series and would race in as many of the other series as rules allowed. The last win of his career came May 15 in the Truck race at Dover.
Tributes have poured in for Busch since the shocking news of his death. Richard Childress Racing announced it would suspend the use of his No. 8 car until his son, 11-year-old Brexton Busch, can race with it if and when he makes the jump to NASCAR. The Indianapolis 500 will honor him during lap 18, his former and arguably more popular car number, of Sunday’s big race.
The tributes at Charlotte are expected to continue throughout Sunday night’s Coke 600, the longest race on the NASCAR schedule.
Corey Day, who is driving the No. 7 Hendrick Motorsports truck that Busch was supposed to pilot, will begin the Charlotte race on the pole.
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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR honors late Kyle Busch before Truck Series race
Reporting by Dan Rorabaugh, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
