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Ex-NASCAR star Danica Patrick is like much of the sports world, in shock at Kyle Busch’s unexpected death.
Busch died at age 41 on Thursday, and Patrick said the suddenness of his death still hasn’t fully sunk in.
“I think that we’re all just shocked. We’re sad,” Patrick said during an appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich” on Friday. “You know, it’s just something that no one expected. When I first heard something was wrong, I thought he was driving something, but it was something completely different.”
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(Left) Sky Sports anchor Danica Patrick stands on the starting grid before the Montreal Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, on June 19, 2022. (Right) Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch (8) is introduced before the start of the 2026 Wurth 400 Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 3, 2026. (David Kirouac/Imagn Images;Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
Patrick called Busch’s death devastating for his family and the NASCAR community.
“It’s just a devastating loss for Samantha and Brexton and Lennox and Kurt and his parents and the whole family and for the NASCAR and racing community,” Patrick said.
“Cause love him or hate him, Kyle Busch was a figure, he was a polarizing figure and he was an incredible driver that will go down as being one of the greatest NASCAR drivers ever. That’s a loss in another way, too.”
Patrick heaped praise on Busch’s driving skills. He was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the winningest driver in NASCAR national touring series history.
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Danica Patrick appears on the Sky Sports set before the qualifying session of the Formula 1 MSC Cruises United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 18, 2025. (Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire)
Busch is the all-time record-holder for wins in both the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (102) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (69). He also had a win in 19 consecutive seasons, which is the most of all time.
Patrick said Busch was able to get to that next level when racing so often.
“I get asked, like, ‘What does it take to be a great driver?’ And many times I’ve referred to this scenario and Kyle Busch has always been in my mind as the driver that does this the best. But when a driver is out there on track, this is like almost like an altered state of focus,” Patrick said.
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Kyle Busch celebrates in victory lane holding a replica WWE world championship belt after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series O’Reilly Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on Nov. 7, 2009. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)
“The drivers that could access that next level of like, go mode were able to be the best drivers. And I always in my mind was thinking about him, but he’s he was so able to get to that next level so often. He was just incredibly fast and incredibly passionate and always wanted to be the best.”
Patrick raced in NASCAR’s top series from 2012 to 2018. She had seven top-10 finishes and one pole in 191 races.
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