While Kurt Busch retired from full-time Cup racing in 2022, it might not be the last time he drove in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Busch’s 2022 season was disrupted by the concussion he suffered during qualifying at Pocono Raceway last July. He had to miss the remaining 16 races of the season and the 44-year-old driver even decided to call it quits on his full-time Cup career.
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Tyler Reddick has taken over Busch’s former No. 45 car. So if Busch were to return to Cup racing, he will do in a third car for 23XI Racing on a part-time basis. While there are no concrete return dates, Busch has kept the option of returning open.
“That’s the thing, life moves forward. Contracts happen. This is a big-time sport and there’s eight figures these days for sponsorship money. Those don’t just fall out of the sky. I’ve got a great relationship with Monster Energy and with Toyota and that’s why you see me here at the track, pushing hard and doing everything the same as I would be if I was racing. There’s a big announcement next week with Tyler Reddick at the Monster Energy headquarters, there’s a video today with Ty Gibbs. There’s a lot of fun stuff going on. Once there’s that green light, then there’s the chance to open the door for discussions so it’s a process. Can’t push one before the other.”
It was actually in 2023 that the 2004 Cup champion was supposed to retire. The driver with such a long NASCAR career with 34 wins didn’t have a proper farewell to the tracks. But the good news is that 23XI Racing is preparing a third entry for Busch to run when things are possible.