NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr has paid tribute to his former track rival Kyle Busch, following his tragic death on Thursday.
The 41-year-old is reported to have died after a sudden illness, after being taken to hospital only hours earlier.
In the wake of the announcement, messages of sympathy have poured in from across the sport, with Earnhardt among those sharing a personal reflection on Busch’s impact and the bond they eventually built.
Earnhardt looked back on how their relationship changed over time, explaining that what began as intense competition ultimately developed into mutual respect and friendship.
“Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years,” Earnhardt, 51, wrote in a post on X on Thursday, May 21.
“But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams.
Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years. But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams. I was super eager for us to get on better…
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) May 21, 2026
“I was super eager for us to get on better terms. But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible.”
Earnhardt added, “We did some media together also to laugh through some of the things we put each other through many years ago.”
He also shared that the pair had recently been talking about future plans, including the possibility of working together again in a way that would have brought their fanbases together.
“Most recently we had even been discussing him running my Late Model at Wilkesboro this summer,” Earnhardt wrote.
“He seemed extremely happy and we had planned to meet up next Thursday to get his seat to the shop.
“He laughed over the idea of his fans and JRM fans having to cheer in unison during that race.”
The two famously spent years at odds, with much of the tension tied to Busch leaving Hendrick Motorsports in 2007 and Earnhardt taking over his car. Earnhardt said he was grateful they were able to move beyond that chapter and establish a genuine friendship.
“Kyle was one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history,” Earnhardt wrote. “No one can deny that.”
” But he was also a father, a husband, brother, son, and a friend to many. My heart is broken for the Busch family.
“I will never be able to make sense of this loss but I am thankful that we had found a way to become friends.”
No official cause of death has been confirmed.