The Carolina Hurricanes held a moment of silence for NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, who tragically lost his life at age 41 on Thursday.
Minutes before the start of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Hurricanes PA announcer Wade Minter addressed the Lenovo Center crowd as a black-and-white photo of Busch was shown on the jumbotron.
“Today, the sports world lost a legend,” Minter said. “Kyle Busch, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, passed away this afternoon at the age of 41. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and fans around the world. Thank you.”
Busch had a heavy presence in the area, once owning a home at Lake Norman and founding his own race team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, which operated out of Mooresville, NC. Busch later sold the company’s assets to Spire Motorsports in 2023.
Busch’s death came after he seemed to be battling an unspecified illness for at least the last two weeks. Busch’s illness was first revealed publicly when he radioed his team at Watkins Glen, asking that veteran sports physician assistant Bill Heisel meet him at his motorhome after the checkered flag to administer a shot.
“Kyle Busch has been suffering from a sinus cold all week,” FOX Sports’ Mike Joy reported. “He has asked for medical attention after the race.”
A week later at Dover, Busch told The Athletic that his cough was pretty substantial at the time and that “I’m still not great.”
That weekend, Busch would run a full schedule, suiting up in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover, Delaware, on Friday night. There, he would collect his 69th career trophy in the series and his 234th and final NASCAR national series race win — the most of all time.
“You never know when the last one is (going to be),” Busch said after the victory.
Thursday, Busch’s condition turned south as his social media account announced that he would not participate in the Coke 600 after being admitted to the hospital.
“Kyle has experienced a severe illness resulting in hospitalization,” the post read. “He is currently undergoing treatment and will not compete in any of his scheduled activities this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. We ask for understanding and privacy as our family navigates this situation.”
Later in the afternoon, NASCAR, as it did for Dale Earnhardt’s earth-shattering death, announced at 5:46 pm that Busch, one of its greatest drivers and ambassadors, had passed away.
“We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport’s greatest and fiercest drivers,” NASCAR said in its statement.
Drivers across the series posted emotional tributes to Busch, whom they had raced just days before in Delaware.
Across the sports landscape, other tributes poured in, including from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which put up an image of Busch on its scoring pylon.
The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, who are located in Dale Earnhardt’s hometown, also held a moment of silence before their game.
Busch is survived by his wife, Samantha; 11-year-old son, Brexton; and 4-year-old daughter, Lennix. His brother Kurt was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of its 2026 class.
Busch’s son Brexton, a racing prodigy, celebrated his birthday just three days ago.
