Mario Andretti Shares Details of Kyle Busch's Final Days Before Death
Racing legend Mario Andretti is sharing details of Kyle Busch's final days alive, saying that he saw Busch, 41, on Tuesday, May 19, just three days before Bush died on May 21.
Nothing seemed amiss; in fact, Andretti showed a reporter a video of him meeting Busch that day. Busch greets him fondly in the video. The racing legend expressed great shock over Busch's untimely death on May 21. Although Busch had been struggling with a "substantial cough" and "sinus cold" since at least May 10, his cause of death is not clear. He collapsed in a racing simulator and became unresponsive. TMZ obtained dispatch audio, which says "the NASCAR superstar was struggling to breathe, overheating and coughing up blood before medics rushed to help."
Andretti is one of many racing legends to express complete shock over Busch's death. Dale Earnhardt Jr. previously weighed in on X, revealing that he and Busch had plans to meet up next week. Whatever took Busch's life, the life-threatening turn appears to be sudden.
Mario Andretti Revealed, 'I Was With Him on Tuesday...It's a Shock of My Life What Happened Here'
Like so many, @MarioAndretti was absolutely leveled by the Kyle Busch news. He was just with him on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/EtyMTxek3e
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) May 22, 2026
Andretti looked visibly rattled by the death. "I was with him on Tuesday. In Durham," he said in the video. "We opened one of our go carting facilities."
He brought out his phone. "I have it in my phone here, and it's a shock of my life you know what happened here," he said.
The video shows Busch saying, "Hello sir, how's it going?" He then shook Andretti's hand. "That was Tuesday," Andretti told the reporter, who said, "Oh my gosh. Wow. Unbelievable."
"I am sure it shocked everyone," responded Andretti. "Unbelievable."
Kyle Busch's Family Members Haven't Commented Beyond Their Initial Statement
On the morning of his death, Busch's X page posted, "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."
The family has not explained the nature of the illness.
Other NASCAR greats are also offering tributes to him.
"This is a devastating loss and one that is hard for the NASCAR community to process. Kyle was a fierce competitor who demanded the very best from himself each time he put on the helmet," Jeff Gordon wrote.
"As teammates, I saw firsthand the passion and intensity he brought to the sport every single day. He was a champion and prolific racer who made a tremendous impact on NASCAR and was a lifelong advocate for all forms of motor sports," he added. "But beyond the track, he loved his family deeply and was incredibly proud of Samantha, Brexton and Lennix. My thoughts are with the entire Busch family during this extremely difficult time."
Denny Hamlin also offered tribute, saying of Busch, "To me, personally, I feel like he's the most talented gifted and talented race car driver that ever stepped in a car."
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 7:50 PM.