Samantha Busch Thanks Supporters in First Statement Since Husband's Death
Samantha Busch issued her first public statement on Friday, June 6, 2025, more than two weeks after the death of her husband, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. Writing on Instagram, she thanked fans, friends, and strangers for an outpouring of support that she said had "carried us through the most heartbreaking days of our lives." Kyle Busch died on May 21, 2025, at the age of 41, after pneumonia escalated into sepsis. He had collapsed during a simulator session ahead of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and was hospitalized the following day before succumbing to the illness.
"The love that has surrounded our family during this unimaginable time has brought comfort in the middle of so much pain," Samantha Busch wrote. "Knowing the impact Kyle had on others and seeing how they are honoring him through each unique act of generosity is a true testament to how special Kyle is to so many people." She closed the statement with a direct message to supporters: "We may never find the words to fully express what your support has meant to us, but please know that we are deeply grateful." A private memorial for Kyle Busch was held earlier in the week. The couple's 11-year-old son, Brexton, attended his first race since his father's death in the same period.
Kyle Busch was among the most decorated drivers in NASCAR history. He won the Cup Series championship in 2015 and 2019, both with Joe Gibbs Racing, and accumulated 63 Cup Series victories across 762 starts in the series, which he entered in 2004. Across all three of NASCAR's national series - Cup, Xfinity, and Trucks - he recorded 234 wins. He held the all-time wins record in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with 102 victories, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, with 69. His final win came one week before his death, a dominant Truck Series performance at Dover in which he led 147 laps. "You never know when the last one is," he said afterward. Busch had moved to Richard Childress Racing ahead of the 2023 season after spending the core of his career at Joe Gibbs Racing.
Richard Childress Racing announced that Busch's No. 8 car number will be permanently retired unless his son Brexton chooses to compete in the Cup Series and wishes to use it. Busch was widely regarded as a certain future inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. No further public statements from the family have been announced.
