Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – NASCAR chief Steve O'Donnell paid tribute to "American badass" Kyle Busch on Friday, one day after the two-time Cup series champion acknowledged as one of the sport's greats died suddenly at the age of 41.
Issued on: 23/05/2026 - 00:26
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O'Donnell spoke to reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he said that after some discussion the Coca-Cola 600 will go ahead as scheduled on Sunday."Kyle Busch would probably be pretty pissed off if we didn't race," O'Donnell said. "So we're going to honor his memory and make sure people know what he was all about."Busch, who was in his 22nd season in NASCAR's top division, died on Thursday after he was hospitalized with an undisclosed "severe illness".His family asked for privacy and O'Donnell said that out of respect for them he was not going to answer questions about Busch's health or cause of death.Some details had begun to emerge as US media gained access to a 911 emergency call for an ambulance, which was made Wednesday from the General Motors training facility in North Carolina.The caller told the dispatcher that the individual in question, Busch, had shortness of breath, felt hot and was "coughing up some blood".O'Donnell said he'd received a phone call on Thursday morning telling him "things weren't great" with Busch.His family and his Richard Childress Racing team had announced Busch's hospitalization and withdrawal from Sunday's race Thursday morning and hours later announced his death."Out of respect for the family, and they've asked for privacy, I'm not going to address any of that," O'Donnell said.
