Kyle Busch has died today at the age of 41 after a short, unspecified illness, NASCAR confirms. Busch, driving the Number 8 car for Richard Childress Racing, was supposed to race this weekend in the Coca-Cola 600, but dropped out the last minute.

NASCAR, in a joint statement with Richard Childress Racing and the Busch family said: “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.”

Kyle Busch was known for his controversial aggressive racing style and his entry into the sport in the proverbial shadow of his older brother, another NASCAR legend, Kurt Busch. This earned him the nickname “Shrub.” Eventually, NASCAR says, he went by the nickname “Rowdy.”

Kurt Busch’s career broke records over his 22 seasons racing, as he won a total of 234 races across NASCAR’s three series, the Cup Series, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and the Craftsman Truck Series. He also has won two NASCAR Cup titles in 2015 and 2019.

His 63 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series puts him in the same leagues as titans of the sport like Dale Earnhardt Sr., who won 76 races. This current season, he was in 24th place, with 217 points.

NASCAR says that Kyle Busch is survived by his brother, Kurt, his wife, Samantha, and his two children, Brexton and Lennix.

The racing world has lost one of its best and it is still unknown how the current season will continue in his absence or how he will be commemorated during the upcoming Coca-Cola 600 which will be raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina on Sunday, May 24th.