Nascar’s Kurt Busch Begins His Final Chapter Perhaps A Bit Sooner Than He Wanted

When his story is written Kurt Busch’s last NASCAR race will be the one that ushered the end of his over two-decade career, and one he never actually raced in.

Saturday Busch announced at his hometown track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, that he will retire from racing. The move comes after he suffered a concussion after what looked to be a harmless crash during practice at Pocono Raceway. Busch has not raced since then instead Ty Gibbs raced the No. 45 car for 23XI Racing until the start of NASCAR’s Playoffs when Gibbs was moved to the 23 car and Bubba Wallace to the 45 so that car can compete for this season’s owner’s title.

Busch was eligible for the Playoffs by virtue of what turned out to be his last win, that coming at Kansas Speedway in July. NASCAR had granted him a wavier to return, but doctors wouldn’t clear him, and he surrendered his eligibility. Saturday, Busch said his doctors won’t clear him for the rest of this season leading to his decision.

“My long-term health is priority number one,” an emotional Busch said Saturday. “I don’t feel committing at this point to compete for a championship next year is in my best interest or the best interest of the team. You know, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with 23XI, this team of wonderful professionals. I appreciate their support and that what they’ve shown me over the last few months, I will continue to work with this group.”

The 44-year-old is the elder of the Busch brothers; younger sibling, Kyle, has made his own mark on the sport and continues to do so.

Busch stepping aside, allows Tyler Reddick to step into the No. 45 car fulltime next season a year earlier than planned and that too was made official by Busch. 23XI Racing had signed Reddick for the 2024 season, but his current team Richard Childress Racing announced Saturday morning that Reddick’s final contract year had been bought out by 23XI Racing, allowing Reddick to leave for 23XI.

In a bit of irony, Kurt’s younger brother Kyle will take over the RCR seat being vacated by Reddick next season. Kurt will focus on helping 23X1 Racing.

“I want to share my wisdom and knowledge and everything that I’ve gained with my unofficial PhD in this garage area,” he said. “It deserves to stay with 23XI. We’re building something special here, and I look forward to continuing to work with Bubba Wallace off the track, as well as Tyler Reddick.”

His concussion, and that of driver Alex Bowman at Texas Motor Speedway, has spurred discussions about the safety of NASCAR’s Next Gen racecar, which made its competitive debut this season. NASCAR met with drivers prior to the Charlotte ROVAL race that they are working on improvements to the car and hope to have changes in place for next season.

That comes too late for Busch, who won’t be racing in 2023.

“Having the accident on track and then not having a set timeline or a set path for recovery with a concussion it turns into other things as well with emotions,” Busch said. “The timelines seem to have shrunk as far as what’s gonna happen next year. Well, it’s like, well, I should be better by now and I haven’t been cleared.

“This is more of being unselfish and respecting what has to happen in this industry. And that’s to, to know how to make a team move forward.”

Kurt made his NASCAR Cup debut in 2000 with Roush Racing. He would score the first of his 44 wins in the Cup series at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2002 and follow that up with a Cup title in 2004 during NASCAR’s inaugural Chase for the Championship.

His early years were marked by controversial incidents due mainly to his fiery temper that led to several angry encounters with reporters, but he was also suspended by Roush near the end of the 2005 season for an alleged DUI. He moved to Team Penske in 2006 but was reportedly fired from that team at the end of 2011 after launching a profanity laced tirade against an ESPN reporter after dropping out of the race at Homestead.

Busch was fined $50,000 by NASCAR, and left Penske at the end of the season. NSACAR suspended Busch from the first three races of 2015 after a Delaware court issued a protective order against him sought by his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll. She accused him of domestic assault after a late-night September 2014 incident at Busch’s motorcoach at Dover Downs. Those charges were later dismissed.

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After brief stints with the now-defunct Phoenix and Furniture Row Racing, Busch signed with Stewart-Haas Racing where he remained until 2018. He moved to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019 and moved to 23XI Racing when the team, co-owned by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, and NBA Legend Michael Jordan when that team bought the assets of Ganassi which decided to leave NASCAR.

As he aged, his temper has mellowed, and now he’s known as a smart, consummate professional who will be an asset to any team, but 23XI Racing for the foreseeable future.

Busch says he’s now looking forward to putting together a ‘bucket list’ of races he would like to do. He won the 2017 Daytona 500; finished sixth in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 and said he said he would like to win at Darlington, and race ‘around the world’ including the 24 Hours of Le Mans as he writes the final chapter of his racing career. The final chapter started being written perhaps a bit sooner that he wanted, but Busch said he’s ready to move on.

“I’m at peace where things are,” he said. “I was close to the end of my contract and that full drive for a championship run, I was real close to that anyhow…it just happened a little sooner. But to race part-time and to enjoy things with a little less pressure, I think that will help fulfill things and, and close that door.

“But to pursue a championship and to run 36 race weekends, week in and week out it was getting tough for my body to go through it no matter what. And so, this just changed the course just a little bit. But I’m happy with where things are and my family with the race team, with Monster, with Toyota, there’s gonna be plenty of things to do to, to keep that passion alive. And to write the final chapter.”