Nascar driver Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family.
Dakota Hunter, vice-president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release that the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday.
Busch, a two-time Nascar champion, died at 41 on Thursday, a day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator a day earlier in preparation for a race on Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
He was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he later died.
“The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications,” Hunter said in a statement.
Busch is reported to have experienced shortness of breath, and felt he was overheating and was coughing up blood the day before his death, according to a 911 call obtained on Friday by the Associated Press.
During the emergency call, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s [got] shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”
Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and the caller told dispatch “he is awake”, according to audio provided by the Cabarrus county sheriff’s office.
The driver’s shocking death has caused anguish and heartbreak among motor racing fans. Busch won 234 races across Nascar’s top three series over his two-decade career, more than any driver in history. Nascar is an acronym for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
Donald Trump described Busch as “a true talent who loved NASCAR and its fans. Kyle was a WINNER!” JD Vance called Busch “one of NASCAR’s greatest racers”.
Nascar’s CEO, Steve O’Donnell, described him as “an American badass”.
“We certainly had our battles but I would give a lot of money to have a few more battles,” he said.
Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on 10 May and radioed in to his team saying that he needed a “shot” 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.
All 39 drivers in the field for Sunday’s race will race with a black No 8 decal on their car to honor Busch.
Nascar driver Brad Keselowski said he knew Busch wasn’t feeling well recently. “Yes, but I won’t go into any specifics,” he said. “But then when he ran the Truck race last week, those [thoughts] were honestly kind of erased in my mind.”
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.
