Just six days before his sudden death at age 41, Kyle Busch was doing what he had done better than almost anyone in NASCAR history: winning races.
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Busch delivered a dominant performance May 15 at Dover Motor Speedway, winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race while making more history in a career already filled with it.
The two-time Cup Series champion swept both stages, led 147 of 200 laps and captured his 69th career Truck Series victory. In the process, Busch became the first driver in Truck Series history to lead more than 1,000 laps at a single track.
"I've been around for a long time," Busch joked afterward during an interview with Fox Sports.
The victory at Dover marked Busch's fifth Truck Series win at the track in just 10 starts. Over two decades of racing there, he compiled 1,058 career laps led at the one-mile oval known as the "Monster Mile."
It would ultimately become one of the final milestones of Busch's career.
Busch died Thursday after being hospitalized with what his family described earlier in the day as a "severe illness." No official cause of death has been released.
According to reports, Busch became unresponsive Wednesday while participating in a Chevrolet simulator session in Concord, North Carolina, before being transported to a Charlotte-area hospital. A 911 call later obtained by NBC News indicated Busch had experienced shortness of breath and had been coughing up blood prior to hospitalization.
Busch also raced last weekend in the NASCAR All-Star Race, finishing 17th.
One of the most accomplished drivers in NASCAR history, Busch won 234 races across NASCAR's three national touring series and captured Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019.
He is survived by his wife, Samantha, and their two children.
