NEW_Kyle Busch smiles prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch died Tuesday at age 41 after what his family had described as a severe illness, shocking the racing world.
The race car driver's death came nearly three months after he and his wife, Samantha, made a confidential settlement with Pacific Life Insurance over a lawsuit in which the couple had claimed they lost nearly $8.6 million through a misleading indexed universal life insurance strategy.
Early Tuesday, Busch's family made a post to his X account indicating he was too ill to compete this weekend.
"Kyle has experienced a severe illness resulting in hospitalization. He is currently undergoing treatment and will not compete in any of his scheduled activities this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. We ask for understanding and privacy as our family navigates this situation," they wrote.
Later, the family joined NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing in issuing a press release disclosing Busch's passing.
"On behalf of the Busch family, everyone at Richard Childress Racing and all of NASCAR, we are devastated to announce the sudden and tragic passing of Kyle Busch. Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch. A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation," the statement said, asking for respect for the family's privacy.
The Associated Press, citing unnamed sources, reported that Busch had become unresponsive while working in a racing simulator in North Carolina on Wednesday and was taken to a Charlotte hospital. Survivors include his wife, children Brexton and Lennix, his brother and his parents.
IUL Settlement
Kyle and Samantha Bush and Pacific Life in February filed a joint settlement notice to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina that they had reached the confidential agreement and were documenting and finalizing settlement papers. They intended to file a stipulation or motion to dismiss the case in the following 30 days, with all parties bearing their own fees and costs.
"Both sides worked constructively to achieve a confidential result that is mutually acceptable and avoids further legal proceedings," a Pacific Life spokesperson said at the time.
The Busches had accused Pacific Life and an agent of promoting complex IUL policies as "tax-free retirement plans" that were misrepresented as safe, self-funding investment vehicles. The couple had sought to recoup nearly $8.6 million in out-of-pocket losses plus punitive and triple damages.
Pacific Life, which had sought the case's dismissal, contended in a court filing that the lawsuit was "filled with inflammatory and disingenuous rhetoric, but none of it shows any wrongful conduct by Pacific Life."
Credit: Matt Kelley/AP Images
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