CHARLOTTE — NASCAR announced a public celebration of life service for Kyle Busch, who died on May 21, 2026, at the age of 41. The service is scheduled for Friday, October 9, 2026, at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The service will be free to attend and will take place after the Craftsman Truck Series race on October 9. Busch died at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

His death certificate lists the cause of death as hemorrhagic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Busch had been suffering from sepsis for at least a day prior to his death and had been dealing with complications of presumed bacterial pneumonia for days to weeks before his death, according to the death certificate.

On May 20, 2026, Busch became unresponsive and began coughing up blood at a racing simulator facility in Concord, North Carolina. Eleven days before his death, Busch called for a doctor over his radio near the end of the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. He won the Truck Series race at Dover six days before his death.

Richard Childress, NASCAR team owner, stated that Busch's stylized No. 8 car will remain retired unless his son, Brexton, wants to use it. Richard Childress Racing had renumbered the No. 8 car to 33, which Austin Hill currently drives. A private memorial service for Busch was held on June 2, 2026. On the same day, Brexton Busch, Kyle Busch's 11-year-old son, ran practice laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch was cremated at the Cavin-Cook Funeral Home in Mooresville, North Carolina. His father drove an honorary lap around Charlotte Motor Speedway before one of his grandson's races. Sonoma Raceway added Busch to its Wall of Fame.

Denny Hamlin carried a flag with Busch's No. 8 on it around the track. Kurt Busch, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and Cup Series champion, finished third in a racing event at the Le Mans course in France. "Kyle's spirit will always ride with me," Kurt Busch said.

Chase Elliott, a NASCAR driver, stated he is withdrawing his name from the Most Popular Driver award ballot in the hopes that Busch wins it. Elliott has won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver award eight consecutive times. Busch concluded his career with 234 combined victories across NASCAR's top three national touring circuits. He won 63 races in NASCAR's Cup Series, placing him 10th all-time in that category. He also won the most races in the Truck Series and the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. Busch held the Cup Series record for most consecutive seasons with at least one win, achieving victories in 19 straight years from 2005 to 2023. He won two Cup Series championships while driving the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing and most recently drove the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.