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Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR champion, has died at the age of 41. The Busch family, Richard Childress Racing, and NASCAR issued a joint statement confirming that Busch died after being hospitalized.
Reports indicate Busch was using the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte. No cause of death has been given.
Few people in the garage had more insight into what NASCAR has just lost than Denny Hamlin. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver spent 21 years competing against Busch in the Cup Series – including years as his teammate. Appearing on Good Morning America on Friday, he gave a meaningful tribute to the late driver.
On Instagram, Hamlin had written that “we lost our Kobe Bryant. Today we mourn, forever we remember. Rest in peace, Kyle.” Appearing alongside Michael Strahan, he elaborated on what made Busch irreplaceable. “I just know that as a race fan, every race that he was in was more exciting to watch than the ones that he wasn’t,” Hamlin said. Crowd-dividing, yes. Appointment viewing, always.
Hamlin was equally direct about Busch’s effect on his own career. “There’s no way that I would have the wins that I have had I not had Kyle Busch as a teammate to push me to be better,” he said.
On the all-time Cup wins list, Busch and Hamlin sit ninth and tenth with 63 and 61 victories respectively. They were two drivers who spent years dragging the best out of each other.
The favorite memory Hamlin shared: “My first memory with him, and my favorite, is we were at a test,” Hamlin recalled. “He walked over to my stall and he says, ‘We’re gonna see how good you really are.'” That was Busch in miniature. No small talk, just competition. Hamlin described how they traded fastest laps back and forth three or four times that session, and he knew immediately what he was dealing with. “To me, personally, I feel like he’s the most talented, gifted, and talented race car driver that ever stepped in a car,” he said on GMA.
Hamlin also spoke about the version of Busch that emerged in his later years – steadier, more grounded, a better teammate. Starting a family with wife Samantha and having children Brexton and Lennix appeared to sand off the sharpest edges without touching the talent. “Over these last 10 years or so … you saw the evolution of him,” Hamlin said. “He became a man. He became a great teammate.” The heartbreak of the kids is something Hamlin also acknowledged. Busch had been deeply invested in his son Brexton’s own racing future, a career that now won’t have him in it.
Hamlin also added what this means for Richard Childress Racing. “RCR — that organization had to go through the death of Dale Earnhardt and now Kyle Busch,” he said. “Just can’t imagine being in the position his family and his race team are in.”
Busch had won 234 races across NASCAR’s three national series, more than any driver in history. He claimed championships in 2015 and 2019. The sport will be calculating what it’s lost for a long time.
Continue reading...
Reports indicate Busch was using the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte. No cause of death has been given.
Few people in the garage had more insight into what NASCAR has just lost than Denny Hamlin. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver spent 21 years competing against Busch in the Cup Series – including years as his teammate. Appearing on Good Morning America on Friday, he gave a meaningful tribute to the late driver.
On Instagram, Hamlin had written that “we lost our Kobe Bryant. Today we mourn, forever we remember. Rest in peace, Kyle.” Appearing alongside Michael Strahan, he elaborated on what made Busch irreplaceable. “I just know that as a race fan, every race that he was in was more exciting to watch than the ones that he wasn’t,” Hamlin said. Crowd-dividing, yes. Appointment viewing, always.
What Hamlin Said Busch Gave the Whole Garage
Hamlin was equally direct about Busch’s effect on his own career. “There’s no way that I would have the wins that I have had I not had Kyle Busch as a teammate to push me to be better,” he said.
On the all-time Cup wins list, Busch and Hamlin sit ninth and tenth with 63 and 61 victories respectively. They were two drivers who spent years dragging the best out of each other.
The favorite memory Hamlin shared: “My first memory with him, and my favorite, is we were at a test,” Hamlin recalled. “He walked over to my stall and he says, ‘We’re gonna see how good you really are.'” That was Busch in miniature. No small talk, just competition. Hamlin described how they traded fastest laps back and forth three or four times that session, and he knew immediately what he was dealing with. “To me, personally, I feel like he’s the most talented, gifted, and talented race car driver that ever stepped in a car,” he said on GMA.
Hamlin also spoke about the version of Busch that emerged in his later years – steadier, more grounded, a better teammate. Starting a family with wife Samantha and having children Brexton and Lennix appeared to sand off the sharpest edges without touching the talent. “Over these last 10 years or so … you saw the evolution of him,” Hamlin said. “He became a man. He became a great teammate.” The heartbreak of the kids is something Hamlin also acknowledged. Busch had been deeply invested in his son Brexton’s own racing future, a career that now won’t have him in it.
Hamlin also added what this means for Richard Childress Racing. “RCR — that organization had to go through the death of Dale Earnhardt and now Kyle Busch,” he said. “Just can’t imagine being in the position his family and his race team are in.”
Busch had won 234 races across NASCAR’s three national series, more than any driver in history. He claimed championships in 2015 and 2019. The sport will be calculating what it’s lost for a long time.
Continue reading...
