Kyle Busch was hospitalized this week due to a serious illness and will not participate in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the longest race on the NASCAR Cup Series calendar. Richard Childress Racing confirmed this Thursday that Austin Hill will climb into the Chevrolet No. 8 to replace Busch, whose weekend program also included Friday's North Carolina Education Lottery 200 in the Truck Series with Spire Motorsports and fan activities on Saturday.

A team statement asked for respect for the family's privacy and assured that Busch and his loved ones "have all of RCR's resources at their disposal," in addition to calling him "an integral part of the organization" and wishing him "a fast and safe recovery." The driver's wife, Samantha, had earlier issued a message mentioning a "serious illness" and asked that people keep Busch in their thoughts. Neither the team nor the family has detailed the diagnosis, the hospital where he is staying, or the treatment he is receiving.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

Busch arrives at this situation in 24th place in the championship with 217 points, 66 points behind the playoff cut line currently held by Shane van Gisbergen with 283. His season has been modest, with a tenth at Talladega and an eighth at Watkins Glen as his best results, and the absence at Charlotte will prevent him from scoring in one of the races that awards the most points. He had planned to run the 600 miles at Charlotte, where he won in 2018 and has 37 starts in the top category.

Last weekend he had won the Truck Series race at Dover with Spire Motorsports, his second victory in four appearances in that division in 2026, and before that he had competed at Watkins Glen with no visible physical issues reported. On Thursday, an episode that went unnoticed during that race came to light. Busch asked over the radio to locate Dr. William Heisel to attend to him after the race. "Tell him I'm going to need him at the end of the race, please. I'm going to need an injection," he said. The FOX broadcast mentioned that he was dealing with a sinusitis condition, but the issue was not followed up. Busch finished eighth that day, and there is no official confirmation that the Watkins Glen incident and the current illness are connected.

Richard Childress Racing has not given a timeline for Busch's return. The Coca-Cola 600 will be the 14th race of the championship, and his absence opens a vacancy in the No. 8 that Hill will fill at least for this weekend. The family asked for privacy, and the team limited itself to saying that the car "will be ready and waiting for him."