Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion who won more races than anyone across NASCAR's three national series, has died at age 41. The Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR issued a joint statement Thursday saying Busch died after being hospitalized. No cause of death was given.

Busch's family had earlier said he was hospitalized with a "severe illness," three days before he was to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte.

Busch was the younger brother of NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch. He is survived by wife Samantha and children Brexton and Lennix. The NASCAR statement said: "Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch. A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation."

Busch won Rookie of the Year in 2005 and championships in 2015 and 2019 with Joe Gibbs Racing. He amassed 234 combined wins across NASCAR's three national series: 63 Cup wins, 102 Xfinity wins and 69 Truck wins – both records. His career was marked by feuds and controversies, including a recent spat with former teammate Denny Hamlin.

Busch was fired early in his career by Hendrick Motorsports to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr., then moved to Joe Gibbs Racing where he achieved most of his success. After losing sponsorship, he joined Richard Childress Racing in 2023 but struggled to win races. His last race was the NASCAR All-Star race where he finished 17th.

Source: www.aljazeera.com