911 call reveals chilling moment Kyle Busch began 'coughing up blood' day before death
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
Chilling audio from a 911 call prior to the death of legendary NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, which was announced on Thursday (May 21), has been obtained.
It was announced that the father-of-two and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion had died earlier this week, in a joint statement released by the Bush family and NASCAR.
The family stated that the 41-year-old had been taken to hospital earlier in the day due to a 'severe illness', but have not yet shared his cause of death.
Tributes from fans and fellow-drivers have since poured in, as the statement described Busch as a 'future Hall of Famer' and a 'rare talent', which only comes around 'once in a generation'.
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It read: "On behalf of the Busch family, everyone at Richard Childress Racing and all of NASCAR, we are devastated to announce the sudden and tragic passing of Kyle Busch.
"He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans."
The driver is survived by his wife, Samantha Busch, and their two young children, Brexton and Lennix.
"NASCAR lost a giant of the sport today, far too soon," the statement concluded, while sending condolences to the grieving family.
A 911 call from General Motors training facility in North Carolina, obtained by NBC News, suggests that the 41-year-old had been 'coughing up blood' on Wednesday (May 20), the day before his death was announced.
"I’ve got an individual that’s, uh, shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out and is producing a little bit of blood - coughing up some blood," the man could be heard saying around 5:30 p.m.
"He’s awake," the man said. "He’s on the bathroom floor right now."
An ambulance was then called for at the General Motors Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina, with the request that sirens are turned off.
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell has now confirmed that Busch was using the Chevrolet racing simulator when he fell ill.
But speaking to NBC News, he said: "We’re not aware at this time of any correlation between, you know, the race car, the racing, and what took place."
At the time of his death, Busch was in his 22nd full-time season in NASCAR'S top division, where he had won two Cup Series titles and 63 races.
He was also due to race in the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend (May 24), an event which the NASCAR CEO has confirmed will still go ahead.
Speaking to reporters on Friday (May 22), he said: "Kyle Busch would probably be pretty p***ed off if we didn't race.
"So we're going to honor his memory and make sure people know what he was all about."