Kyle Busch's former 'rival' recalls unusual behavior just days before his death
William Morgan
Featured Image Credit: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Sometimes it takes a tragedy to put a legendary rivalry in perspective, as Kyle Busch's NASCAR nemesis has made clear in the days since his tragic and unexpected death.
Both all-time legends in their own right, Brad Keselowski has shared his belief that one day he'd have buried the 'hatchet' with Busch, if he hadn't tragically passed away at the age of 41 from a complication of severe pneumonia.
Busch's illness only got worse and developed into deadly sepsis, which killed the stock car champion on May 21. He was described as a 'giant of the sport' by NASCAR organizers in an emotional reaction to his death that shared how the business was 'heartbroken'.
For a large chunk of his time behind the wheel, his main rival was Keselowski, with their fury famously boiling over in 2012 into a violent disagreement on the track, with a fender bender sending Busch into a fury where he forced the other driver to total his car.
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But despite this long history with the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Keselowski, 42, has shared his grief at the loss of Busch from the sport, sharing that he had seen his former enemy just days before his death.
“I was flying to Dover last week with Kyle,” he told People, adding: “It was probably more by chance than anything else.”
Speaking of the last time he had seen him next to the racetrack, he told the publication that the all-time racing great had been acting differently when he saw him after his final win, at the 2026 Ecosave 200 - less than a fortnight ago.
Keselowski shared: “Kyle is normally a fairly gregarious person, very outgoing—and he wasn’t. He sat down one row behind me and next to me and fell asleep right away and I could tell he wasn't feeling well."
Busch's former rival added that, at the time, he 'didn't really think that much of it, to be honest.'
He added: “And that was pretty much the last time I saw him. We were in a race and you get in a race and you don't really see each other. So I saw him on the racetrack.”
But with his main competitor tragically taken from the racing world so soon, Keselowski has been uncharacteristically pensive and reflective about what Busch's loss means for the sport, as well as himself.
He shared: “I guess I had visions before his death of... actually, I thought about this multiple times: What's it going to be like when we're both in the Hall of Fame and we're doing some kind of ceremony together, whatever that might be? Will the hatchet be buried? I think so.
“And will we actually be able to share a laugh about it? I guess in my mind, I hope so and now obviously not.”
Indeed, when Keselowski envisioned what his life would be like when he eventually hangs up his racing helmet, it had included a friendship with his rival.
“The hard part is the closure was supposed to be when we were retired and when we were done racing together and I don't think that's just for me, by the way,” he added. “I think that's for a lot of people. And to not get that is tough.”
But the NASCAR driver added on a more personal note: “The loss of Kyle Busch is much greater than how it affects me, and so I don't wish to belittle that.”
And of his personal contest with the champion driver, Keselowski added: “For whatever reason, Kyle and I had built into a relationship where although there's 30-some other drivers on the racetrack, I valued meeting him more than anyone else.
"Fifth place day and race is generally a good day. It's not a great day, but it's a good day. With a fifth place day where Kyle Busch finished fourth didn't feel like a good day. And conversely, a 10th place day where I beat Kyle Busch felt like a better day.”
Still reeling from the sudden loss, he added: “That's what a rivalry is at its core and that's how I felt about it."