Kurt Busch remembers the day brother Kyle Busch died

Kyle Busch (18) and Kurt Busch (45). USA TODAY Sports

'It just wasn't fair': Kurt Busch remembers the day brother Kyle Busch died

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Aug 21, 2026 6:12 PM ET

The racing world was shocked to learn of the death of NASCAR legend Kyle Busch on May 21 from what was later learned to be pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.

Busch collapsed on May 20 and was taken to the hospital before passing away the next day. He had won his final NASCAR race only six days earlier and had been slated to compete in a May 22 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Kurt Busch remembers brother Kyle's death

In an interview with the Today Show, Kyle Busch's brother Kurt, a fellow driver and NASCAR champion, remembered the final day of Kyle's life.

"I was there at the hospital, there all day," Kurt Busch said to NBC's Craig Melvin. "Hoping, praying. Hoping for a turnaround. My dad wanted to remember him in the way that he wanted to remember him. People could choose if they wanted to or not."

NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch sat down for his first network television interview since the unexpected loss of his younger brother Kyle three months ago.

He opened up about how he’s honoring him now, how he’s nurturing Kyle’s legacy in his son, and the shock he still feels.…
— Craig Melvin (@craigmelvin) August 21, 2026

Tom Busch, Kurt and Kyle's father, did not want to see Kyle in the state he was in, according to Kurt. The older Busch brother did, however, want to see his younger sibling.

"I said, 'I got you, man. Come on. I got you. Be strong,'" Kurt Busch said, recounting the final words he said to his brother. "It just wasn't fair."

Countless tributes to Kyle Busch poured in in the following days and have continued to do so over the last three months. On Friday, Kyle Busch's 11-year-old-son, Brexton, will race in the Kyle Busch Invitational at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Meanwhile, Kurt Busch will race this weekend in Washington, D.C., in the International Race of Champions (IROC) event, which is serving as a supplementary race as IndyCar prepares for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Sunday.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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