The auto racing world reacted with shock and sadness to the news of Kyle Busch’s death on Thursday.

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Busch, 41, was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday, three days before he was to race in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, The Associated Press reported.

He became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, the AP reported, citing anonymous sources “who were familiar with the situation.”

Busch, who won 63 races on NASCAR’s main circuit and 234 across its three series -- more than any other driver -- had also been scheduled to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in Charlotte this weekend.

[ Kyle Busch, two-time NASCAR series champion, dies at 41 ]

Busch could be a polarizing figure, intensely popular among his fans and booed loudly by his detractors, according to NASCAR.com. But his competitiveness and work ethic was never in question.

His nickname -- “Rowdy” -- was a testament to his aggressive style of racing. The product of a racing family, Busch broke into motorsports as a brash teenager and was quickly dubbed “Shrub,” as the younger brother of Kurt Busch, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January.

He also had a cameo as a West Virginia state trooper in the 2017 movie, “Logan Lucky.”

Racers and team presidents on the NASCAR circuit were stunned and saddened to hear of Kyle Busch’s death.

“Absolutely cannot comprehend this news,” Denny Hamlin wrote. “We just need to think of his family during this time. We love you KB.”

“Absolute shock,” driver Brad Keselowski posted on social media. “Very hard to process. Hug your loved ones.”

Driver Ricky Stenhouse wrote that “the sport won’t be the same without you.”

“I’ve raced against Kyle for a long time, and anyone who’s lined up next to him knows exactly what made him special,” Stenhouse wrote on social media. “He gave you everything he had, every single lap, and he made all of us better for it.”

Jimmie Johnson, who was Busch’s teammate when both raced for Hendricks Motorsports, wrote that NASCAR lost one of its greatest talents today, and we’ve all lost a friend."

“Kyle Busch wasn’t just one of the fiercest competitors our sport has ever seen, he was one of the most talented race car drivers I’ve ever shared a track with. We spent years as teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, and even as competitors, there was always a deep respect for what he could do behind the wheel,” Johnson wrote. “Kyle pushed all of us to be better. His passion, intensity, and love for racing were unmatched, and his impact on this sport will be felt forever.”

Rick Hendrick, the owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said that Busch, who competed for the racing team between 2003 and 2008, posted on X that the driver’s death “is an incredibly painful shock for all of us and a heartbreaking loss for the NASCAR family.”

“He had a fire and competitive spirit that drove him to be great. I watched Kyle grow up in this sport and valued the friendship we shared long after he drove for our organization,” Hendricks wrote. “As much as he loved to drive a race car, nothing brought him more joy than being a husband, a father and watching his son race

After leaving Hendricks Motorsports, Busch signed with Joe Gibbs Racing and won both of his NASCAR Cup Series titles with the team. He notched 56 of his 63 Cup Series wins with the former NFL coach.

“Kyle was a fierce competitor, an incredible teammate, and, far more importantly, a devoted husband, father, and son,” the organization wrote on social media. “His impact on our organization and on the sport of NASCAR will never be forgotten.”

“This doesn’t even feel real typing this,” Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing wrote.

Getting to race against Kyle was a true pinch me moment, I’ll never forget the first time just sharing the track with someone I had so much respect for,“ Briscoe tweeted. ”Two of my favorite wins of my entire career came going head to head against KB and what made them so special was the fact that I was racing against KB someone who I considered one of the all time best.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who battled Busch on the track between Busch’s first full season in the Cup Series (2005) and Earnhardt’s retirement in 2017, said the two drivers shared a healthy respect, adding that they had a “really challenging existence.”

“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,” Earnhardt tweeted. “I was super eager for us to get on better terms. But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible.

“I will never be able to make sense of this loss but I am thankful that we had found a way to become friends.”

Jeff Gordon, who won 93 times on the main NASCAR circuit, called Busch’s death “a devastating loss.”

“Kyle was a fierce competitor who demanded the very best from himself each time he put on the helmet,” Gordon wrote on X. “As teammates, I saw firsthand the passion and intensity he brought to the sport every single day. He was a champion and prolific racer who made a tremendous impact on NASCAR and was a lifelong advocate for all forms of motor sports.

“Kyle Busch and I spent years pushing each other to the limit,” Kevin Harvick tweeted. “What people may not realize is how much that rivalry drove us both. Kyle made me better because you had to be at your absolute best to beat him.

“Over time, that fierce competition turned into a mutual respect.”

Respect for Busch crossed over into other sports. On Thursday night, the Carolina Hurricanes observed a moment of silence before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final against the Montreal Canadiens.

Professional wrestler Ric Flair, who rose to prominence performing in the Charlotte area before becoming a 16-time world heavyweight champion, tweeted that Busch was “gone way too soon.”

The Cincinnati Reds tweeted that team members “were fortunate to spend time with him at our complex in Arizona.”

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