NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell has made his first public comments since the death of Cup Series driver Kyle Busch on Thursday, May 21.
“Kyle Busch, to me, is an American badass,” he told reporters. “Behind the wheel, [he was] who you want to be, and I think when you look back at all those things, that’s part of being a race car driver.”
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He added, “People with passion and people who care about the sport are the ones you need to listen to. And he was always that guy.”
O’Donnell, 57, also told fans that right now, he is “one of them.”
“I feel the exact same way that they probably do,” he explained. “Shocked, sad, wondering what you can do to help out. But I think the best thing I personally can do is talk to you all, talk to people that maybe didn’t know him, about his legacy.”
O’Donnell made his comments while at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ahead of the Charbroil 300 on Saturday, May 23, and the Coca-Cola 600, which will take place on Sunday, May 24. Busch was scheduled to race on Sunday for Richard Childress Racing. He added that NASCAR and the other drivers are still discussing ways to honor him, both this weekend and beyond.
NASCAR confirmed Busch’s death at age 41 just hours after his family announced the Cup Series driver had been hospitalized with a “severe illness.” It was later revealed that Busch was found unresponsive in a racing simulator on Wednesday, May 20.
911 audio obtained by TMZ Sports indicated Busch was “coughing up some blood” and experiencing shortness of breath. The caller added that at that point, Busch was conscious and “on the bathroom floor.”
Busch was taken to the hospital, where he died.
“We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport’s greatest and fiercest drivers,” NASCAR said in a statement via X. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community.”
Kyle is survived by wife Samantha Busch and their two children, Brexton, 11, and Lennix, 4.
When Kyle was initially hospitalized, RCR announced that Austin Hill would replace him in the Coca-Cola 600.
Kyle’s shocking death has sparked an outpouring of support from the racing community, including from the family of late driver Greg Biffle. Biffle, his wife, two kids and three people died in a plane crash in December 2025.
“Kyle was larger than life—iconic, fiercely competitive and an amazing friend to Greg,” a statement from Biffle’s family read, in part. “They leaned on each other often, not only through racing, but through life and personal challenges as well. Greg and Kyle spent time together in Glamis during the offseasons, enjoying watching their boys together and always looking ahead to the future with excitement and pride.”
