Kyle Busch greets fans during driver intros at Bristol.
Shockwaves were sent around the racing community when it was announced that NASCAR’s Kyle Busch had passed away. Busch was hospitalized earlier in the day with an undisclosed illness. Later in the day, he was gone.
Busch was a polarizing figure in the sport, mostly from his early days. He was brash, unapologetic, and won a lot of races across NASCAR’s top 3 series. Many compared him to Dale Earnhardt. While there were some similarities between the two, Busch’s image softened a bit after the birth of his children.
Busch, also, stepped outside of the NASCAR world to race various forms of racing. Slowly, Busch became more popular than early in the years when he was showered with boos at every track.
While the death of Kyle Busch was shocking and tragic, it hits differently than other driver deaths.
Busch’s death was the first at least 30 years where a driver passed, was still active, and did not die on the track or going to and from the track. Going back to Alan Kulwicki’s death in 1993, he was killed in a plane crash going from a sponsor gathering in Knoxville, TN on his way to Bristol. Davey Allison was killed in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway, though he was not going to a race there. Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin both died in separate crashes at Loudon, NH. And of course, Earnhardt’s tragic death on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
When drivers are killed at the track or on their way to and from the track, it’s part of the risk each driver takes. Fans understand this. They grieve, but they know this type of tragedy is part of the risk. It’s not that it’s accepted, it’s the fans know it’s part of the job and deal with it accordingly.
That is why the news of Busch’s death is more stunning because it was so sudden and took place in a hospital. It’s new territory for race fans. Just last Friday, Busch won the Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover. Aside from asking for a doctor at Watkins Glen two weeks ago, there were no signs of Busch heading toward something that would lead to his death.
As Kyle Busch fans grieve and other fans mourn the loss of one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, they look at how to process this since he was an active driver and it was something unexpected.
Fans, media members, and friends and family of Busch will learn how to process such a loss that took place an unusual way, for race car drivers. As details become available about the cause of Busch’s death, everyone will understand better and try to move on. Until then, it’s so shocking that many in and around the sport are stunned and puzzled and will be that way for some time.
Kyle Busch at Bristol Motor Speedway.
