Two-time NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Busch, who died on May 21 from an undisclosed illness, was a committed family man, a husband and father of two.
Busch, 41, and his wife, Samantha, were married for 15 years.
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Their children, Brexton Locke and Lennix Key, were born on May 18, 2015, and May 10, 2022, respectively.
Kyle Busch’s older brother Kurt was also a NASCAR Cup driver.
Here’s what to know about Kyle Busch’s family:
Kyle and Samantha Busch met at a racing event
Kyle and Samantha Busch met in 2007 at a promotional racing event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Samantha, a college student at the time, admitted she did not know who Kyle was.
They got to know each other when Kyle, who was too shy to invite Samantha himself, asked his public relations representative to invite Samantha to ride in the pace car.
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They spoke on the phone several times after that and finally went on their first date four months later.
The couple got engaged during Daytona Speedweek in 2010 and married on New Year’s Eve 2010.
Kyle and Samantha Busch struggled to start a family
After a long struggle with infertility, which Kyle and Samantha spoke about publicly, they welcomed Brexton in 2015 and Lennix via surrogacy in 2022.
Their journey with in vitro fertilization inspired Kyle and Samantha to establish the Bundle of Joy Fund, a foundation that helps families with IVF and fertility treatment.
Kyle Busch’s son Brexton is a third-generation race car driver
Kyle Busch’s father, Tom Busch, was a late model stock car driver who was a track champion in Nevada. He was also a mechanic who built Kurt and Kyle’s cars early in their racing careers.
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WHAT MADE KYLE BUSCH A GREAT DRIVER? What made Kyle Busch, who died at 41, one of NASCAR’s all-time greatest drivers
Brexton Busch became a third-generation race car driver at the age of 5 in 2020.
Under Kyle’s strict guidance, Brexton made his racing debut in the Beginner Box Stock division in North Carolina and then progressed up to competing in junior late models, Bandoleros and dirt racing events.
Kyle Busch’s brother Kurt is in the NASCAR Hall of Fame
Kyle and Kurt Busch are among the most successful NASCAR racing siblings ever.
They had a combined 97 Cup victories (Kyle 63, Kurt 34).
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Kurt, 47, retired in 2023. He was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on the first ballot in the Class of 2026.
The Busch brothers were born to Tom and Gaye Busch in Las Vegas, Nevada. Racing was the family business. While Tom was a race car driver and a mechanic, Gaye served as an official at nearby Craig Road Speedway.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kyle Busch family, what to know after NASCAR driver dies at 41
