May 21, 2026

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

NASCAR Cup Series champion driver Kyle Busch has died at the age of 41.

A joint statement from the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR confirmed Thursday afternoon that Busch had passed away after being hospitalized with a severe illness.

The statement in its entirety:

“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. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans.

“Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR’s highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series.

“His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal ‘Rowdy Nation.’ Our thoughts are with Samantha, Brexton and Lennix, Kyle and Samantha’s parents, Kurt and all of Kyle’s family, Richard and Judy Childress, everyone at Richard Childress Racing, his teammates, friends and fans. NASCAR lost a giant of the sport today, far too soon.

“During this incredibly difficult time, we ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy and continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Further updates will be shared as appropriate.”

As noted in the above statement, Busch is survived by his wife Samantha, son Brexton, 11, daughter Lennix, 4, father Tom Busch, mother Gaye Busch and brother Kurt Busch, himself a champion driver at NASCAR’s highest level.

In a NASCAR Cup Series career that doubtless will earn a place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Busch accumulated 63 victories, ninth all-time, and won championships in 2015 and 2019.

In addition, he holds records for wins in both the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (102) and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (69), giving him more combined national series victories (234) than any other driver.

Busch claimed his most recent Truck Series victory last Friday at Dover Motor Speedway.

Busch began his career in NASCAR’s top division with Hendrick Motorsports, moved to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008 and was driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing when the sudden onset of illness ended his life.

CONCORD, NC (May 21, 2026) Kris Wright and the No. 81 F.N.B Corporation NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series a looking to keep the momentum going this weekend in Charlotte after a season’s best finish last weekend at Dover Motor Speedway.

Wright rallied from a lap down twice and crew chief Darren Fraley made a bold strategy call calling the No. 81 F.N.B. Silverado to pit road during the race’s final caution while several trucks stayed out.  The top-off of fuel proved to key as several trucks had to stop under green and Wright was able to stay out and gain track position en route to a 17th place finish.

“Darren got us where we needed with fuel and we capitalized on the day,” said Wright, a Pittsburgh, PA native, who has relocated to North Carolina to be closer to his race team.

The finish left Wright and the McAnally Hilgemann team sitting 21st in point heading into this weekend’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on the 1.5-mile oval.

“We took a step forward at Dover, and now the goal is to carry that momentum into this weekend and keep building with our F.N.B. Corporation team.”

McAnally Hilgemann Racing is strong at Charlotte with teammate Daniel Hemric finishing eighth-place and Tyler Ankrum advancing 11 positions from his starting spot.

Wright and company will be looking to do the same and his experience should help having four starts at Charlotte between the Truck Series and the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, including finishes of 18th and 19th.

“Racing at Charlotte is always super special, and it’s nice to have a weekend close to home in the middle of a long stretch of races,” said Wright.

Coverage from Charlotte begins Friday with practice on FOX Sports 2 at 3:30 p.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 4:35 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 will air on Fox Sports 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET

By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service

DOVER, DE (May 17, 2026) – For the second time in his celebrated career, Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race from pole position – making the pass for victory over his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe with 29 laps remaining to claim the winner’s $1 million check.

Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota went on to win by a .887-second margin over Briscoe’s No. 19 JGR Toyota prevailing in the 200-lap final segment of competition in the three-phase non-points race taking place for the first time ever at the Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway’s famous one-mile concrete track.

Just finishing the third and final phase of this race was essentially an accomplishment for many of the sport’s best. A pair of nine-car accidents bookended the first of two 75-lap stages and either eliminated or badly handicapped perennial favorites such as past All-Star winners Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney.

Toyota drivers Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, who drive for the 23XI Racing team Hamlin co-owns with NBA legend Michael Jordan, each won one of the opening two stages. And ultimately it came down to another three Toyotas to settle the popular “main event” in front of a packed house at the venerable Dover “Monster Mile” on a steamy Sunday afternoon.

“Makes it a lot easier when you have a car this fast,” said Hamlin, who at 45 years old is the second oldest driver to claim a trophy in the annual All-Star race. “Hats off to this whole [sponsor] Progressive team.

“We strive to be number one and we did it today,” he said, adding, “I just knew the game-changer for us was long runs and obviously the ability to pass when behind someone.”

Of the $1 million prize, Hamlin smiled and did not hesitate to say, “I’ll probably give it to mama.” – an especially moving gesture considering he lost his father in December in a fire that destroyed his parents’ home.

Hamlin (103) and Briscoe (61) combined to lead all but 36 laps of the final stage and the runner-up showing for Briscoe was a career best in the All-Star Race.

It was obviously a really fast car and just proud of our group,” Briscoe said. “I knocked the wall down in practice and we basically rebuilt the whole car. So, for them to be able to get the car back to where it’s competitive says a lot about the guys. It was a good day.

“Wish it were a points race because we definitely need the points. But it was a hard-fought day,” added Briscoe, who said he’d been battling a stomach bug all weekend.

“Had a shot there at the end for a million bucks and you can’t ask for anything more.”

Erik Jones rallied to a third-place finish in the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota – his best showing of the season – followed by the Chevrolets of Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and Trackhouse Racing rookie Connor Zilisch, who both also turned in their best finishes of the year.

It was an especially impressive day for the 19-year old fan-favorite Zilisch, who absolutely dominated the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last year winning 10 times, but has endured some expected growing pains in his move up to the premier NASCAR Cup Series this year.

His fifth-place finish proved a remarkable comeback Sunday considering he received a pit road penalty after exiting the pits in second-place near the race’s midpoint. He steadily rallied back from the penalty – moving into the top-10 with 20 laps remaining and then into the that fifth-place showing by the checkered flag.

“It would have taken a lot to beat the 11 [Hamlin] and 19 [Briscoe]; they were both really good,” Zilisch said. “Regardless, it was a really good day for Trackhouse and this 88 team. We needed a day like this where we had contending speed. It’s been a long year and moments of hope like this certainly feel good.

“It was cool to be on offense for once, have good restarts and not feel like a fish out of water,” he added.

Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, Spire Motorsports Michael McDowell, Hendrick Motorsport’s Alex Bowman and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-10. It was a notable comeback performance for the former series champion Keselowski, who started alongside Hamlin on the front row, but was collected in a multi-car accident in the second 75-lap segment.

Hamlin’s victory was his second in 20 All-Star starts and he becomes the third driver in NASCAR history to win the race at multiple tracks after claiming his first trophy at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2015.

The NASCAR Cup Series championship resumes next week in annual Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (6 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain is the defending race winner.