Late NASCAR driver Kyle Busch suffered a “chain of events” that led to his death, beginning with bacterial pneumonia, which he had for “days to weeks” before he died, according to the death certificate exclusively obtained by Us Weekly.
The certificate paints a dramatic picture of Busch’s final days, beginning with pneumonia and progressing to sepsis, which the medical examiner determined he likely had for just one day. The sepsis then led to disseminated intravascular coagulation, or small clots that form in the bloodstream and block blood flow to the organs. That led to hemorrhagic shock, which is caused by severe internal or external blood loss.
Busch died on Thursday, May 21 at age 41, one day after being taken to the hospital when he was found unresponsive in a racing simulator in North Carolina. He is survived by his wife, Samantha, and their two children:son Brexton, 11, and daughter Lennix, 4.
His death certificate aligns with what his family announced on Saturday, May 23, when they revealed he died of pneumonia that progressed “into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications.”
A 911 call obtained by TMZ Sports revealed that Busch was also “coughing up blood” prior to his hospitalization.
“I’ve got an individual that’s shortness of breath, very hot,” the caller said. “[He] thinks he’s going to pass out, and he’s producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”
The caller added, “He’s on the bathroom floor right now.”
NASCAR announced Busch’s death Thursday evening, just hours after his family announced he would be unable to compete in the upcoming Coca-Cola 600 after being hospitalized with “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 via X. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community.”
In the days before his death, fans and fellow racers alike noticed that Busch appeared under the weather. During a Cup Series race in New York on May 10, Fox’s broadcast of the race picked up Busch asking for his doctor.
“He’s the kindred doctor guy,” he said of Dr. Bill Heisel. “Tell him I need him after the race, please.”
Asked if he wanted the doctor to meet him at his car or bus, Busch replied, “I’m gonna need a shot.”
The broadcast also suggested that Busch had been “suffering from a sinus cold all week.”
Busch’s longtime rival, Brad Keselowski, recalled his final encounter with the legendary driver, which came on an airplane the week before his death.
“Kyle is normally a fairly gregarious person, very outgoing — and he wasn’t,” Keselowski, 42, told People in a story published Monday, May 25. “He sat down one row behind me and next to me and fell asleep right away and I could tell he wasn’t feeling well.”
