The shock death of NASCAR legend Kyle Busch sent the racing world into mourning on Thursday night, but the sad truth is that it’s just the latest tragedy to strike the sport in the past six months.
Remarkably, the famous racing series was also deeply affected by a fireball plane crash and a deadly house fire in December, making Busch’s death the third tragedy since mid-December.
Prior to that, NASCAR has also been haunted by a series of other aviation disasters, leading to many claiming that the sport is ‘cursed’ due to the number of deaths it has experienced away from the ovals.
The first of the most recent disasters came on December 18, when an icon of the series – Greg Biffle – was killed in a plane crash in North Carolina.
All of the passengers and crew – which included his wife, Christina, and their two children Emma, 14, and Ryder, 5 – died in the crash, with a total of seven fatalities.
The Cessna Citation airplane was seen engulfed in flames to the right of the runway at Statesville Regional Airport as the tragic scenes unfolded at around 10:15 am.
Kyle Busch’s death at 41 sent the world of motorsport into mourning on Thursday afternoon
Busch is survived by his wife Samantha and their two children, Brexton, 11, and Lennix, four
‘Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, and son Ryder were on that plane… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us,’ Garrett Mitchell, one of Biffle’s friends, wrote on Facebook.
Just 10 days later, another unfathomable tragedy struck the sport when a fire – later ruled accidental – broke out at the home of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin’s mother and father.
Denny himself owned the house, but it was his parents who lived there, and the fire ultimately took the life of his father Dennis, despite the desperate attempts of his mother Mary Lou to save him.
Both parents were found outside the home with catastrophic injuries, and neighbors told local media that Mary Lou had risked her own life to drag Dennis away from the flames.
Dennis, 75, passed away, while Mary Lou is still recovering from the injuries she suffered trying to escape the blaze.
Back in mid-December, fellow NASCAR icon Greg Biffle and his family died in a plane crash
Biffle is seen with his wife, Cristina and their five-year-old son, Ryder
A report later released by Gaston County Emergency Management & Fire Services said the fire at the two-story home originated in a bedroom, but the ’cause of ignition’ is ‘undetermined.’
Denny Hamlin is a leading driver in NASCAR’s top circuit, having won 60 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the Daytona 500 three times.
Hamlin and Michael Jordan co-own the car driven by Tyler Reddick that won this year’s Daytona 500 back in February.
Just five months on from the plane crash and fire, and tragedy has once again struck with the shock death of Busch at the age of 41.
Few details are yet known about Busch’s death, but it came on Thursday just hours after he was hospitalized with a mystery ‘severe’ illness.
The Las Vegas native, who competed in more than 760 races during a storied 24-year career, is survived by his wife, Samantha, and their two children, Brexton, 11, and Lennix, four. The family celebrated Brexton’s birthday just three days before Busch’s passing.
Just days later, Denny Hamlin’s father Dennis died from injuries suffered in a house fire
The fire has now been officially ruled as accidental but it remains unclear how the blaze began
His hospitalization came less than two weeks after he made a mid-race request for medical aid.
During a Cup Series race on May 10 at Watkins Glen, Busch radioed in to his crew requesting medical aid from Dr. Bill Heisel and a ‘shot’ after the race.
According to the TV broadcast, Busch had been struggling with a sinus cold that was exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes at the Upstate New York road course. Busch continued to race and finished eighth.
Brushing off the incident, Busch went on to claim his record fifth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series trophy days later on May 15. Following his death, which came six days after the victory, a heartbreaking clip of Busch’s post-race interview resurfaced.
After earning his 69th career Trucks Series race win with the triumph at Dover, Busch was asked how many races he wanted to win in his career before he stops racing.
‘You take whatever you can get, man,’ Busch said. ‘You never know when the last one is going to be, so cherish them all – trust me.’
Las Vegas native Busch won championships in 2015 and 2019 with Joe Gibbs Racing
What’s more, the high-octane world of NASCAR has for decades by punctuated by sudden and violent aviation tragedies that have wiped out champions and racers alike.
The roots of this ‘curse’ date back decades and first began after an aviation crash claimed the life of one of the sport’s original icons back in 1970.
Hall of Fame driver Curtis Turner, recognized as one of the Cup Series’ first true superstars, was killed when his Aero Commander 500 went down near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
The 46-year-old was traveling with professional golfer Clarence King when the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff while bound for Roanoke, Virginia.
An official review later suggested the tragedy unfolded after King suffered an in-flight heart attack, forcing a struggle to land the plane that cost both men their lives.
The most infamous year of the ‘NASCAR curse’ remains 1993, a season which saw the sport lose two of its brightest stars in the span of just four months.
The most infamous year of the ‘NASCAR curse’ remains 1993, when legends Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison both died in plane crashes just 102 days apart
Kulwicki died when his Swearingen Merlin III lost power on approach to a Tennessee airport
In April of that year, reigning Cup Series champion Alan Kulwicki was killed when his Swearingen Merlin III lost power on approach to a Tennessee airport.
Ice had been sucked into the engines of the plane, according to reports, killing the 38-year-old and three others instantly.
Just 102 days later, tragedy struck again when Davey Allison attempted to land his Hughes 369HS helicopter in the paddock at Talladega Superspeedway.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer had been travelling to the event to watch David Bonnett, the son of his friend Neil, test the speedway. However, he never made it.
Reports revealed that the nose of the helicopter tipped upwards, causing the vehicle to crash. Allison, only 32, died from his injuries the following day.
The curse continued into 1998, when Julian Martin, the father of NASCAR legend Mark Martin, was killed when his aircraft plummeted into the Great Basin National Park in Nevada.
The crash also claimed the lives of Martin’s stepmother, Shelly and his stepsister, Sara.
Julian Martin (left), father of NASCAR driver Mark Martin, died in a plane crash in 1998
John Hendrick, president of Hendrick Motorsports, was killed in a plane crash back in 2004
Julian was considered a personal hero by his son, having taught Mark to steer while sitting on his lap before the his legs could even reach the pedals.
The racing world was again brought to its knees in October 2004 by yet another tragic disaster. This time, it involved Hendrick Motorsports, who are widely considered as NASCAR’s most successful ever team with over 300 Cup Series wins.
21 years ago, a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 carrying the inner circle of the Hendrick empire vanished into the fog of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
All twelve people on board were killed including John Hendrick, president of Hendrick Motorsports, his twin daughters and Ricky Hendrick, the heir to the Hendrick empire.
The plane had been heading to a race at Martinsville when it missed its approach in heavy mist – conditions eerily similar to the ‘low clouds’ reported in Thursday’s crash.
Other legends have narrowly escaped the same fate, including Ernie Irvan and Neil Bonnett, who both survived separate aviation incidents before their time on the track.
