Kyle Busch’s longtime NASCAR rival Brad Keselowski is struggling to process his sudden death.
“Kyle and I, just to be fully transparent, we were rivals. We were not friends,” Keselowski, 42, shared during a Friday, May 22, appearance on Fox & Friends, one day after Busch’s death at age 41. “But I think there was a mutual respect.”
Keselowski, who has faced off against Busch for decades, explained, “This is a guy who is a first-ballot NASCAR Hall of Famer, without a doubt. The whole community is stunned. He’s won 234 NASCAR races. That’s a record that I don’t think will ever be broken.”
The athlete noted that Busch was “supposed to be racing today” and he had won as recently as last Friday, which made his sudden death following a hospitalization for a “severe illness” on Thursday, May 21, that much more shocking.
“We race 38 weekends a year. I think everyone in the community feels like they lost a brother,” Keselowski said. “It’s really hard to fathom. He’s just an irreplaceable guy with a talent and work ethic that was unrivaled.”
He added, “The racing is still going to go on this weekend, but the sport will never be the same.”
Looking back on their time competing head-to-head, Keselowski acknowledged, “When you beat Kyle Busch, you know you beat one of the best.”
Keselowski and Busch had a heated rivalry for decades as they both did their best to take home victories and knock the other off the podium.
That competitive side of both racers was often seen off the track as well, with Keselowski calling Busch “an ass” in 2010 after Busch was introduced as the winner of a Nationwide Series race in Bristol that August. The race was tense for both athletes, as their cars got tangled and Keselowski crashed, making way for Busch to be No. 1.
Seven years later, Busch told reporters at the 2017 Championship 4 Media Day that “sometimes you just don’t like a guy, fact of the matter” when asked about Keselowski.
Despite their long-standing professional feud, Keselowski was aware that Busch was one of the greats.
“I would love to rekindle that rivalry because in my eyes that would mean that we’re competing with each other for wins,” Keselowski said in 2025, according to the New York Post, after both he and Busch struggled to win consistently.
News broke on Thursday that Busch had been hospitalized and would need to skip the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, which was a shock to fans, as Busch hadn’t missed a race since an injury in 2015.
Hours later, Busch’s family, NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing confirmed that he had died, but no cause of death was given.
“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,” the statement read on Thursday evening. “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.”
Keselowski was one of many in the racing community who shared a tribute to Busch following his surprising death.
“Absolute shock,” Keselowski wrote via X on Thursday. “Very hard to process. Hug your loved ones.”
He later issued a longer statement about his former foe on the racetrack and shared what he’ll miss about competing against Busch.
“I made him earn every victory and stole a few from him along the way,” Keselowski wrote via X, sharing a photo of the two men in their racing gear standing side by side. “We took our shots at each other, in the media and on the track.”
He mused, “But I’d like to think that somewhere deep down there was an appreciation that we pushed each other to perform at the highest level, even if neither of us would’ve admitted it.”
Keselowski expressed heartbreak over not only the loss of a competitor but for Busch’s loved ones, whom he left behind.
“Tonight, I feel a little like the coyote with no more roadrunner to chase,” he concluded. “His loss is all of our loss, but none more so than his family’s. Thinking of Samantha, and Brexton and Lennix who lost their father today.”
Busch is survived by his wife, Samantha, and their two children, Brexton, 11, and Lennix, 4.
