Kurt Busch addresses NASCAR racing future

Since stepping out of the No. 45 car for 23XI Racing due to injury, Kurt Busch has been on a path to get back to racing. Whether that means racing in NASCAR or not remains to be seen.

The 2004 Cup Series champion is a future Hall of Famer. Together with Kyle, Kurt is one half of the most successful brothers to ever grace the sport. His NASCAR days have been in the rearview for a few years now.

This weekend, Kurt Busch is teaming up with Travis Pastrana in Sydney, Australia. The Race of Champions will be Kurt’s first big event behind the wheel as a driver.

“I’m not going to go run a Cup car right now at 500 miles side-by-side with all the boys, right? And so it’s just the steps that it takes, and this is the perfect one. And so a ripple effect from this, positive or negative, will open up more doors,” Busch said in an exclusive interview with Speedcafe.

When Busch was injured in 2022 it was like a switch was turned off. There was no fanfare, no farewell tour. There were no special race names or dedications. He was just out of the sport. Is he looking for a formal goodbye?

“No, not at all. My team was getting short anyhow. I was at the end of what I would call my last contract. I poured my heart and soul into it for 23 years, won a bunch of stuff, wrecked a bunch of stuff, and all in all I was fulfilled.

“And so whether it ended there or I get back in the car later on, who knows? It was a good career that I can look back on and go, you know what? Two thumbs up.”

Kurt Busch is fine with moving on from NASCAR

Kurt Busch seems to have the right attitude about his NASCAR exit. As he continues to do things like Race of Champions, perhaps he will find more opportunities. I hear Tony Stewart has a drag racing team and just signed an extension with Dodge. That would be a great pairing, in my mind.

Drivers are injured every year. Those injuries vary in severity. When it comes to the head and brain, like with Kurt Busch, then things have to be taken seriously. Rushing back from a severe concussion or head injury is just not what any athlete should be doing.

Teaming up with Travis Pastrana in Australia, at least Busch can have fun this weekend. That is a team I’d like to be hanging out with for the postrace afterparty.