EXCLUSIVE: Kyle Busch's Terrifying Final Moments — 911 Tape Reveals NASCAR Star's Fight for Life Before Unexpected Finish Line
Kyle Busch's 911 tape has detailed the NASCAR star's desperate fight for life before his death.
June 11 2026, Published 6:00 a.m. ET
Disturbing audio from the 911 emergency call made for NASCAR star Kyle Busch exposes the suffering he endured in the painful moments before he was rushed to a hospital, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The tape from May 21 reveals an unidentified desperate man – telling a dispatcher that the future Hall of Fame driver was gasping for air and sprawled on a lavatory floor.
911 Caller Reported Blood Coughing
A 911 caller reported Kyle Busch was coughing up blood and lying on a bathroom floor before he was hospitalized.
"I have got an individual that [has] shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he wants to pass out," the tape reveals.
"He produces blood... coughing up some blood," the man said. "He is awake. He's on the bathroom floor right now."
The relentlessly competitive stock car king was training in a Chevrolet racing simulator at the GM Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, N.C., where he put himself through grueling race conditions.
Busch had reportedly been suffering from what has been described as a "sinus issue" that was inflamed by G-forces and elevation changes at New York's famed Watkins Glen raceway 11 days before his death at just 41.
Simulator May Have Worsened Condition
Chevrolet's 'Driver-in-the-Loop' simulator recreates racing conditions similar to those Busch trained under before his death.
But sources said the simulator produces the same kind of conditions that had already agitated his health issues.
According to Chevrolet's website, the tech center offers "Driver-in-the-Loop" simulators, which put drivers in conditions that are comparable to racing without actually strapping in. Each "rig offers the motion and G-forces a driver would experience at speed."
Busch was rushed to a hospital in nearby Charlotte and his family released a statement that he was "hospitalized with a severe illness."
He died later that day.
NASCAR Mourns Sudden Busch Death
NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell described Busch's death as 'sudden and tragic' while noting no evidence links it to racing.
NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell called Busch's death "sudden and tragic" but noted there's no evidence linking his passing to racing or his training regimen.
Nicknamed Wild Thing, Outlaw, Rowdy and KFB, Busch had a checkered reputation on the NASCAR circuit, where he was known as much for his battles with fellow drivers as his two Cup Series championships.
As RadarOnline.com has reported, he notoriously slugged it out with competitor Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the circuit's All-Star Race in North Carolina, leading to backlash from some of his buddies on the circuit.
Still, his loss was clearly devastating for fans and peers.
Racing Icons Mourn Busch's Death
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Mario Andretti paid tribute to Busch after the NASCAR star's death, calling the loss shocking and deeply saddening.
ESPN NASCAR reporter Marty Smith – who had clashed with Kyle in the past – was moved to tears when delivering news of his death and IndyCar legend Mario Andretti showed a video clip of Busch on his phone at the grand opening of the Andretti Indoor Karting & Games in Durham, N.C.
"It's nearly impossible to find the right words to convey the shock and sadness we all feel with the sudden passing of Kyle Busch," Andretti wrote in a text to his grandson Marco Andretti.
Busch's death is the second for NASCAR in just six months after Greg Biffle was killed with his wife and their two kids in a plane crash in December.
