Kyle Busch will not compete in Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 or Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but strapping into a race car is not the top priority for Busch, his family, and his Richard Childress Racing team. The driver’s health is what’s on everyone’s mind.
On Thursday, Busch’s family released a statement via the driver’s official social media channels expressing that the 41-year-old racer experienced a “severe illness” that has resulted in hospitalization.
“Kyle has experienced a severe illness resulting in hospitalization,” the statement from the Busch family explained. “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.”
Richard Childress Racing, the team Busch has driven for in the NASCAR Cup Series since the 2023 season, released a statement reaffirming Busch’s health as the paramount priority and that the team hopes he can battle back from his illness safely and quickly.
In Busch’s place, Austin Hill will drive the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“Kyle Busch’s health is our utmost priority, and he and his family have the full resources of RCR behind them,” Richard Childress Racing stated. “Kyle is an integral part of our organization, and we wish him a safe and speedy recovery. His No. 8 Chevrolet will be ready and waiting for him. We’re thankful to Austin Hill for stepping in to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet this weekend. Please keep Kyle and the Busch family in your prayers, and help us respect the family’s privacy at this time.”
Busch was also scheduled to pilot the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado in Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. There has not been an indication of which driver will drive that vehicle in Busch’s place yet.
Busch, a two-time champion and 63-time race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, had been suffering from a trying season on the track, but over the last few weeks, it seemed like he and his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team had finally started to find their way.
After securing no top-10 finishes through the opening nine races of the 2026 season, Busch had recorded two top-10 results, a 10th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway and an eighth-place run at Watkins Glen International, and it seemed like the driver was heading in the right direction on the track with interim crew chief Andy Street.
Busch ranks 24th in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings heading into this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
This weekend’s race will mark the first Cup Series event that Busch hasn’t competed in since the 2015 season, when he missed the opening 11 races of the campaign due to injuries sustained in the season-opening NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at Daytona International Speedway. When Busch returned, he would go on to win the 2015 NASCAR Cup Series championship.
