Family announces Kyle Busch's cause of death

May 23 (UPI) -- NASCAR driver Kyle Busch died of severe pneumonia and sepsis, his family announced on Saturday.

Busch, who died Thursday at age 41 after a brief illness, had been experiencing cold symptoms that progressed over the course of two weeks dating to the week of a May 10 race when he had been dealing "a sinus cold."

The Busch family early Saturday received a medical evaluation on Busch's death, Kyle Busch Companies said in a statement, ESPN reported.

"The medical evaluation provided to the Busch family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications," the statement said.

"The family asks for continued understanding and privacy during this difficult time," it said.

Busch had been dealing with a "cold" the week of the May 10 race in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and, near the end of the race asked his team for "a shot" from a doctor afterward.

According to a 911 call obtained by UPI that was made Wednesday afternoon, Busch was awake and on a bathroom floor at the General Motors Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, N.C., but was having trouble breathing, thought he was going to pass out and was coughing up blood.

Busch was hospitalized that evening.

On Thursday, morning his family announced that he had "experienced a severe illness" before the evening announcement of his death sent a shockwave of sadness through the NASCAR community.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 3:51 PM.