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Thedeath of NASCAR driver Kyle Buschfrom a "severe illness" on May 21 came as a shock.

The question of who will replace the 41-year-old two-time Cup champion who drove the No. 8 car forRichard Childress Racingis not.

Austin Hill, 32, was announced to be Busch's replacement in theCoca-Cola 600earlier May 21. He will remain Busch's replacement behind the wheel for the time being.

Hill has run 17 Cup Series races in his career, with one top-10 finish, at the Chicago Street Race in 2025.

Here's what to know about Austin Hill.

Has Austin Hill won any championships on the NASCAR circuit?

Hill has not won any overall season championships.

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Hill did win the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season title, the 2020 Truck Series regular-season title and was named the Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year in 2022.

What are Austin Hill's racing stats?

Hill has 17 career Cup races during a five-year span.

His last Cup race was the Cookout 400 at Martinsville.

He has 15 career wins, 93 top-10 finishes and seven poles in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and eight wins, 54 top-10 finishes and three poles in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Where is Austin Hill from?

Hill, who is 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, was born in Winston, Georgia, on April 21, 1994.

Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter)@paulskrbina.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean:Kyle Busch dies, Austin Hill will replace NASCAR driver in No. 8 car

Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion considered one of the best drivers of all time, died Thursday after a bout with a severe illness. He was 41.

The Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR confirmed his death hours after announcing that Busch had been hospitalized this week and would miss Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. No further details, including the type of illness and location of the hospital, were provided.

"Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch," the joint statement said. "A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans.

"Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR's highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series. His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal ‘Rowdy Nation.'"

"NASCAR lost a giant of the sport today, far too soon."

Busch is survived by his wife Samantha, 11-year-old son Brexton and 4-year-old daughter Lennix. He was also the younger brother of NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch, 47.

When the NASCAR Cup Series came to Watkins Glen, N.Y. earlier this month, Busch told his team over the radio that he was "gonna need a shot" and later told The Athletic he had not fully gotten over what was ailing him.

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"You can kind of hear it -- I'm still not great," Busch said. "The cough was pretty substantial last week."

Busch accrued 232 wins across NASCAR's top three series: 63 in the Cup Series, 102 in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and 69 in the Craftsman Truck Series. He won the trucks race at Dover on Friday, six days before his death.

The Las Vegas native was the NASCAR Cup Series champion in 2015 and 2019. He never won the Daytona 500 but claimed the pole for the first time this year before finishing 15th.

Among Busch's big wins were the 2008 Southern 500, the 2015 and 2016 Brickyard 400 and 2019 Coca-Cola 600.

In a statement earlier in the day, Richard Childress Racing asked for prayers for Busch and his family and "he and his family have the full resources of RCR behind them."

They also tapped Austin Hill to take over for Busch in the No. 8 Chevrolet for the Coca-Cola 600, one of NASCAR's crown jewel events.

--Field Level Media

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Two-timeNASCAR Cup Serieschampion Kyle Busch has been hospitalized with a severe illness and won't competeat Charlotte Motor Speedwaythis weekend, his family said Thursday.

His family posted the news on social media and said he is currently undergoing treatment.

“We ask for understanding and privacy as our family navigates this situation,” the statement continued.

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.

Busch ranks 24th in the Cup Series standings, with two top-10 finishes in 12 races this season. The 41-year-old driver and Las Vegas native won championships in 2015 and 2019. Busch is in his fourth season at Richard Childress Racing after winning titles with Joe Gibbs Racing.

His last win came in 2023, his first with RCR.

One of NASCAR's most polarizing personalities, Busch has won 234 races across the sport's three national series, more than any driver in history.

He has won 63 Cup Series races, including the 2018 Coca-Cola 600.

This will be the first time in more than a decade that Busch has missed a Cup Series race.

In 2015, he missed the first 11 races of the season while recovering from a compound leg fracture and broken foot following a crash during the Xfinity Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Austin Hill will replace Busch in the Coca-Cola 600.

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“Kyle Busch’s health is our utmost priority and he and his family have the full resources of RCR behind them,” RCR said in a statement. “Kyle is an integral part of our organization and we wish him a safe and speedy recovery. His No. 8 Chevrolet will be ready and waiting for him. We’re thankful to Austin Hill for stepping in to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet this weekend. Please keep Kyle and the Busch family in your prayers, and help us respect the family’s privacy at this time.”

Busch has struggled to find consistency since leaving for RCR.

His lack of success led to a spat with former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, who appeared to criticize Busch on the Actions Detrimental podcast. Hamlin said, “If you’re expecting Kyle Busch to just go back to Victory Lane on a regular basis, you are kidding yourselves.”

While Hamlin later said he meant no harm by the comments and was just making an observation, Busch took exception and said he could make Hamlin’s life “hell” on the racetrack.

While several laps down at last month’s race at Kansas, Busch raced Hamlin hard instead of allowing the race leader to pass. That decision held up Hamlin during a crucial stage of the race.

Tyler Reddick wound up winning the race after Hamlin faded late, finishing fourth despite a race-leading 131 laps.

After winning the Trucks race at Dover last week and showing an uptick in speed, Busch seemed to make a veiled jab at Hamlin, saying “I guess I just remembered how to drive.”

The two appear to have made amends since with Hamlin saying Busch is on the “Mount Rushmore” of racing.

After earning his 69th career Trucks Series race win at Dover, Busch was asked how many races he wants 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.”

AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - Homeland Security Department Secretary ‌Markwayne Mullin privately warned ‌officials could stop processing international ​travelers and cargo at major U.S. airports in "sanctuary cities" that have declined ‌to cooperate ⁠with the Trump administration's hardline immigration crackdown, ⁠sources told Reuters.

Mullin, who publicly made the ​threat in April ​during ​a DHS ‌funding dispute, privately told travel executives last week that the department could opt to stop processing international ‌travelers at airports ​such as ​Denver, ​Philadelphia, Chicago, Los ‌Angeles, New York City, ​Newark, ​Seattle and San Francisco.

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The Atlantic earlier reported Mullin's ​comments ‌to travel executives.

(Reporting by ​David Shepardson; Editing by ​Chris Reese)

Aaron Rodgers didn't leave anything up for interpretation.

The 2026 season will be his last.

"This is it," Rodgers said during a news conference May 20 on the second day of organized team activities followinghis return to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second year.

Rodgers, 42, signed a one-year contract with the Steelers earlier this week aftermonths of speculation on whether he would play again for his 22nd season.

The four-time NFL MVP, who spent the first 18 years of his career with theGreen Bay Packers, is reuniting with former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy for his final season in Pittsburgh. McCarthy was hired by the Steelers earlier this offseason.

McCarthy coached Rodgers for 13 years and the two teamed to win a Super Bowl during the 2010 season. Rodgers won his first two MVPs under McCarthy and they went to the playoffs for a franchise-best eight straight seasons from 2009-16.

Rodgers has implied retirement in the past.

He said last year after also signing a one-year contract with the Steelers that he was "pretty sure this is it."

"That’s why we just did a one-year deal," Rodgers said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on it."

Now, a year later, Rodgers is back with the Steelers, the team he helped lead to a division title in 2025.

Aaron Rodgers on retirement

Here's how Rodgers answered the question about retirement on May 20.

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Asked by a reporter if the 2026 season could be his last year, Rodgers replied emphatically "yes" before confirming that he plans to call it quits after the year.

Rodgers will get a chance for a bit of redemption afterlast season's dismal 30-6 loss in the wild card round in which his final pass was an interception.

Rodgers turns 43 in December.

It will also give him a chance to move up another list. He enters the 2026 season fourth all-time in touchdown passes with 527 but with 13 more the future first-ballot Hall of Famer will pass Peyton Manning for third.

Last season, in 16 games with the Steelers, Rodgers completed 65.7% of his passes, threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Aaron Rodgers on the Steelers in 2026

What does Rodgers think of the Steelers' chances this season?

"I think you have to temper expectations this time a year," Rodgers said, "because all the years I played sometimes you get excited about guys how they look in shorts and a helmet and then when the pads go on it just changes everything. It changes the offensive line first and foremost, but it changes how guys play.

"Some guys slow down, some guys speed up, some guys have extra confidence with pads on, some guys have some trepidation with the pads on.

"You just got to temper your expectations, not make any snap judgments and wait to camp to see how things come together. But I am excited about these guys. I am excited about the team and it's fun to be back in the locker room with those guys."

A year afterthe Packers played Rodgersin a regular season game in Pittsburgh – a 33-25 win for Green Bay – they'll see him again in 2026, thoughthis time just in the preseason.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:Aaron Rodgers provides major update on NFL future, retirement