NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch wiped tears from his eyes in recalling the final day he spent at his younger brother鈥檚 hospital bedside in his first public comments about Kyle Busch鈥檚 death.
鈥淚 was at the hospital. I was there all day, hoping, praying, hoping for a turnaround,鈥� Busch said in an interview .
鈥淚 said, 鈥業 got you man. Come on, I got you. I got you. Come on, be strong,鈥欌�� an emotional Busch added, before a brief pause. 鈥淚t just wasn鈥檛 fair.鈥�
The interview marked Busch鈥檚 first comments since after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, . Busch鈥檚 death at the age of 41 devastated the racing community and one of NASCAR鈥檚 most accomplished families. The borthers were born in Las Vegas.
Kyle Busch won Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019 for Joe Gibbs Racing, and holds the record in winning 234 combined races across NASCAR鈥檚 top three national series. His older brother was a Cup champion in 2004 and inducted this year into the Hall of Fame.
In the interview, Busch outlined how his brother became increasingly ill while on May 20. Asked by his crew chief whether he was OK, Busch responded no and he was taken to a hospital by ambulance.
Kyle Busch initially believed he was dealing with a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen, New York, on May 10. He continued competing, including winning a Truck Series race at Dover, Delaware, less than a week before he died. Kurt Busch said their father, Tom Busch, chose not to be at the hospital in order to 鈥渞emember him the way he wanted to remember him.鈥�
鈥淭here is no book, there is no outline on what we鈥檙e supposed to do right now,鈥� Kurt Busch said, before recalling the on-track chemistry he had with his brother.
鈥淗im and I were carbon copies of each other. We could speak on track without saying a word,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 miss the words we never spoke to each other, and the vibe that we had on track.鈥�
Busch said he鈥檚 now mentoring his nephew, Kyle鈥檚 11-year-old son Brexton, who has taken up racing.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a prodigy,鈥� Busch said. 鈥淗e can be a big start in the world of motorsports. He鈥檚 11, but he鈥檚 already racing like an 18-year-old.鈥�
, Busch said the achievements speak for themselves.
鈥淚t鈥檚 already there. Winningest driver in NASCAR history in all the series,鈥� Busch said.
鈥淭he tenacity that he had. It was every day, 24-7, to help people in the latter part of his career, to be a great father like he was,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t will all shine as time puts different things in spotlights.鈥�
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