NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch fought back tears as he spoke publicly for the first time since his younger brother’s death, recalling Kyle Busch’s final day at his hospital bedside.
“I was at the hospital. I was there all day, hoping, praying, hoping for a turnaround,” Busch said during an interview Friday on NBC’s Today show.
“I said, ‘I got you man. Come on, I got you. I got you. Come on, be strong,’” an emotional Busch added, following a brief pause. “It just wasn’t fair.”
The interview marked Busch’s first statements since Kyle Busch died on May 21 at the age of 41, after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis and caused rapid, overwhelming complications. The loss devastated the racing community and one of NASCAR’s most accomplished families. The brothers were born in Las Vegas.
Kyle Busch won Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019 for Joe Gibbs Racing, and holds the record in winning 234 combined races across NASCAR’s top three national series. His older brother was a Cup champion in 2004 and inducted this year into the Hall of Fame.
In the interview, Busch outlined how his brother became increasingly ill while practicing in a simulator on May 20. Asked by his crew chief whether he was OK, Busch responded no and he was taken to a hospital by ambulance.
Kyle Busch initially believed he was dealing with a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen, New York, on May 10. He continued competing, including winning a Truck Series race at Dover, Delaware, less than a week before he died. Kurt Busch said their father, Tom Busch, chose not to be at the hospital in order to “remember him the way he wanted to remember him.”
“There is no book, there is no outline on what we’re supposed to do right now,” Kurt Busch said, before recalling the on-track chemistry he had with his brother.
“Him and I were carbon copies of each other. We could speak on track without saying a word,” he said. “I miss the words we never spoke to each other, and the vibe that we had on track.”
Busch said he’s now mentoring his nephew, Kyle’s 11-year-old son Brexton, who has taken up racing.
“He’s a prodigy,” Busch said. “He can be a big start in the world of motorsports. He’s 11, but he’s already racing like an 18-year-old.”
As for his brother’s legacy, Busch said the achievements speak for themselves.
“It’s already there. Winningest driver in NASCAR history in all the series,” Busch said.
“The tenacity that he had. It was every day, 24-7, to help people in the latter part of his career, to be a great father like he was,” he added. “It will all shine as time puts different things in spotlights.”