NASCAR Driver Kyle Busch Dead at 41

Kyle Busch and Samantha Busch had seemingly been through it all together.

"Samantha and I share a lot of respect and love for one another," the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion told ESPN in 2015 while recovering from broken bones suffered in a crash at Daytona International Speedway, "but I don't think anything has come as close as this experience that we've had to deal with, with her being there by my side and helping me."

And the plan was to continue traveling down the road of life as a team, along with son Brexton, 11, and daughter Lennix, 4. 

But instead of having many more miles ahead, Busch died on May 21, hours after his family shared that the 41-year-old had been hospitalized with an unspecified "severe illness" that would prevent him from competing this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation,” his family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR said in a joint statement. “He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled, and he cared deeply about the sport and fans.”

Who is Kyle Busch's wife, Samantha Busch?

In addition to being a mother of two, Samantha is a lifestyle blogger, host of the podcast Certified Oversharer and the author of Fighting Infertility, based on her own experience with IVF and subsequent fertility struggles, including a pregnancy loss when son Brexton was 3.

She and Kyle were inspired to help other couples embarking on their own IVF journeys through their Bundle of Joy Fund, part of her husband's eponymous foundation.

Samantha was also a star of the 2019 reality series Racing Wives with sister-in-law Ashley Busch, wife of Kyle's older brother Kurt Busch.

She was a senior at Purdue University and working as a promotional model when her agency sent her to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on behalf of Chevy to get people "hyped up for the races," according to Samantha's 2023 Instagram account of her and Kyle's 2007 meet-cute. She admittedly wasn't "the sportiest of types," but it was really hot outside and when she was offered a ride in an air-conditioned Impala, she leapt into a car and Kyle was behind the wheel.

"The first thing I said when I saw him in his Chevy tee and ice cold car was ‘wow you got a way better assignment then I did,’" she recalled. "He looked at me funny assuming I knew who he was and we were off."

Samantha actually made the first move, inviting him to hang out that night in a group. He couldn't make it, but "Mr. Shy" had someone ask for her number. With social media still in its nascent stages, "I got super nervous so we talked on the phone for 4 months before seeing each other and going on a date," Samantha wrote, "and the rest is history!”

When did Kyle Busch get married?

The couple tied the knot on New Year's Eve in 2010, family and friends flying in from all over for their Chicago nuptials.

"The ceremony was really traditional and beautiful and simple,” Samantha told Lake Norman Magazine after their honeymoon to Jamaica. The reception was supposed to last till 1 a.m., but ultimately they partied till dawn. "The crowd started chanting, ‘Hell no, we won’t go,'" the bride shared. "It was awesome. That’s the only word I can use to describe the whole day."

Who are Kyle Busch's children?

Kyle and Samantha's son Brexton Locke was born May 18, 2015, and daughter Lennix Key followed on May 10, 2022.

While Samantha was always there for him, Kyle supported her throughout her grueling experience with IVF before getting pregnant with Brexton, as well as her subsequent fertility struggles that resulted in the pair having Lennix via gestational carrier.

As a family of three, Samantha told Candie Anderson in 2018, they did their best to enjoy downtime at home in North Carolina whenever Kyle wasn't traveling.

"We don't worry about our to-do list," she said, "we don't worry about what's coming tomorrow or even later in the day. We just really live in that moment and make memories with Brexton, whether we're taking him hiking or we're going to a kids' museum or a bounce house." 

But it turned out Brexton inherited the need for speed, and it wasn't long before he got behind the wheel, too, with his father buckling up as his coach.

Kyle explained on The Teardown in February that he went with "the sandwich method"—praise, suggestion, praise—when it came to balancing love and tough love.

"When he won the pole," the athlete said, "it was all love, it was hugs, it was high fives. He gets that stuff as well, too."

Remember Kyle as a devoted father and husband in these sweet family photos: