NASCAR champion Kyle Busch's family shares tragic details behind sudden death

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: Two days after the sudden death of Kyle Busch, the family of the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion revealed that the veteran driver died from complications related to pneumonia.

Officials said that NASCAR had “lost a giant of the sport today, far too soon,” confirming that the racing star died just hours after being admitted to the hospital on Thursday, May 21. He was 41.

Kyle Busch died of pneumonia-related complications

Releasing a statement on Saturday, Busch's family revealed that he had died from complications related to "severe pneumonia [that] progressed into sepsis." Vice President of Kyle Busch Companies, Dakota Hunter, shared the family statement in a news release.

"The medical evaluation provided to the Busch family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications," the statement read.

Following news of Busch’s death, NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell held a press conference where he remembered the racing great as an "American badass."

"Kyle Busch, to me, is an American badass," O’Donnell said. "Behind the wheel, he’s 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.

"That’s part of representing the sport. We’re not always going to agree — if we did, I think people would be really bored. And we certainly had our battles. But I’d give a lot of money to have a few more battles going forward," he added.

911 audio reveals Kyle Busch coughed up blood

The 911 audio captured a caller requesting an ambulance to the General Motors Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, NC, around 5.30 pm, Wednesday, after Busch reportedly suffered a medical emergency.

“I’ve got an individual that’s shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood,” the man told dispatch.

“He is awake,” the man later added. “He’s awake. He’s on the bathroom floor right now.”

The man on the call was later heard directing the medical assistance personnel on the quickest way to reach the place where Busch was struggling for life.

Since joining the Cup Series in 2004, Busch built one of NASCAR’s most decorated careers, earning 63 Cup wins and two championships while collecting 234 victories across all three national series.

The NASCAR veteran was preparing for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at the time of his death.