CONCORD, N.C. (AP) 鈥� Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming complications, according to a statement released by his family.
Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday.
Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, , a day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator.
Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens like bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.
while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed in to his team saying that he needed a 鈥渟hot鈥� from a doctor after the race. However, he bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend, and then he finished 17th in the All-Star race on Sunday.
Busch, who was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
During the placed late that afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: 鈥淚鈥檝e got an individual that鈥檚 (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he鈥檚 going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.鈥�
The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch 鈥渉e is awake,鈥� according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff鈥檚 Office. The man then gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.
NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said he knew Busch wasn鈥檛 feeling well recently.
鈥淵es, but I won鈥檛 go into any specifics,” Keselowski said. 鈥淏ut then when he ran the Trucks race last week, those (thoughts) were honestly kind of erased in my mind.鈥�
Keselowski said running multiple races on the same weekend can be difficult on a driver’s health 鈥� but most don’t want to miss a race for fear of being replaced.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no shortage of drivers that would love to take my seat or anybody else鈥檚 seat if we weren鈥檛 feeling well, and I think every driver feels that pressure,鈥� Keselowski said. 鈥淎ll athletes do. It鈥檚 not unique to NASCAR in that sense. We鈥檙e all thinking to ourselves, 鈥業 don鈥檛 wanna be replaced.鈥� … So you try to power through it the best you can.”
Keselowski said Busch鈥檚 unexpected death has forced him to pay attention to his own health moving forward.
Chase Briscoe said Busch鈥檚 health issues served as a 鈥渨ake-up call鈥� for him and other drivers, who often put aside dealing with potential issues because they are so busy traveling around the country and competing on a weekly basis.
He said if something feels off, 鈥測ou need to get checked out.鈥�
Busch’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon was not made available for comment.
Austin Hill will replace Busch on Sunday and drive the No. 33 car. until his 11-year-old son Brexton is old enough to race.
All 39 cars in the field for Sunday鈥檚 race will include a small black No. 8 decal to honor Busch.
Busch won 234 races across NASCAR鈥檚 top three series over his two-decade career, .
Drivers spoke at length on Saturday about his accomplishments, praising his toughness, competitive spirit and penchant for speaking his mind 鈥� all of which led to him earning a reputation as NASCAR’s villain.
鈥淗e was a polarizing figure that no matter if you like him or disliked him as a racer, he was always talked about,鈥� Ryan Blaney said. 鈥淛ust this guy that was always there and won too much, which is why people didn’t like him. And he always spoke his mind. I think people came to respect that about him, that he was true to who he was and that never changed.”
Blaney added that Busch’s personality outside of the car and his competitiveness behind the wheel made him “a larger-than-life person in racing.鈥�
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