![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/nw04nv1y5o4d1hzn.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The passing of two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch was sudden to all. On Thursday evening, May 21, NASCAR confirmed that the 41-year-old racing icon had died, just hours after his family announced he would sit out the upcoming Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n
Family statement \u2018Pneumonia progressed to sepsis\u2019 <\/p>\n
According to a family statement, obtained by FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass, Busch died from pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications,” the family statement said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Busch, who was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, experienced shortness of breath, felt he was overheating and was coughing up blood, according to a 911 call obtained by the AP.<\/p>\n
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, a urologist and surgeon at Orlando Health, spoke with FOX 35’s Hannah Mackenzie about how “unpredictable” sepsis can be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gettyimages-2261162136-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 11: Kyle Busch, driver of the #8 zone Jalapeno Lime Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo <\/p>\n
How does pneumonia turn into sepsis?\u00a0 <\/p>\n
“Not every cough is going to lead to pneumonia, not every pneumonia is going to lead to sepsis,” Brahmbhatt said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sepsis is the “huge inflammatory response” that happens when the body is trying to fight the infection, Brahmbhatt explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sepsis is unpredictable, Brahmbhatt said, saying sepsis isn’t triggered by age or what infection you have. Symptoms of sepsis<\/a> typically include fast, shallow breathing, feeling light-headed or shivering. If it progresses into your organs, your organs can start failing, Brahmbhatt said.\u00a0<\/p>\n It’s unpredictable how quickly sepsis happens, Brahmbhatt said, recommending people catch signs and symptoms of sepsis early and seek medical attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n “When it comes to sepsis, time matters,” he said. “The quicker you get evaluated, the quicker you get treatments, the better prognosis you have.”\u00a0<\/p>\n What we don’t know:<\/p>\n It’s not known how long Busch’s body was trying to fight the lung infection.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital that Busch had an upper respiratory sinus infection which progressed to pneumonia.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a statement before his death, Busch’s family said he was hospitalized for a severe illness and was currently undergoing treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tributes pour out for Kyle Busch <\/p>\n Busch was beloved in the racing world. Having joined the Cup Series in 2004 and winning the championship twice \u2013 in 2015 and 2019 \u2013 Busch leaves behind a legacy that is felt deeply by competitors, fans, and friends alike.<\/p>\n American racer Ryan Blaney shared a memory from 2017<\/a> where he ran into Busch in a hotel lobby in Las Vegas and went out together. The next day, Blaney recalled asking where Busch was and only seeing his feet stick out from underneath a table cloth from the table Busch was under. Busch was wearing his yellow M&Ms suit.\u00a0<\/p>\n “He was all-around a good person,” Blaney said. “I had a lot of good times getting to know him and competing against him.”<\/p>\n Tyler Reddick remembered Busch<\/a> as someone who was always raising the bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Kyle, every aspect of racing, was on top of it,” Reddick said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Source: Information in this story was gathered from a May 24, 2026 interview and reporting from FOX News.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sports<\/a>Auto Racing<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The passing of two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch was sudden to all. On Thursday evening, May…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282921,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[48747,28,30,29,115,110],"class_list":["post-282920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-auto-racing","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-news","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} \u2018Catch sepsis early\u2019 <\/p>\n