The whispers became truth Saturday morning as Kurt Busch said in an emotional announcement at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in his hometown, that he will be stepping away from NASCAR fulltime next season. But left the door open for select races moving forward.
Busch suffered a concussion after what looked to be a harmless crash during practice at Pocono Raceway and has not raced since then.
The move 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.
As for Kurt, his goal is to fully recover and continue to contribute to his team. Something that 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin said last week is something he wants from Busch.
“We want him to be a part of our team and helping us out,” Hamlin said of Busch. “He’s an asset to our team. We want to keep him, Toyota wants to keep him, and I am sure he will have a meaningful position long after his driving career is over. Whenever that is.”
Busch ends his fulltime career with 44 wins in the Cup series a NASCAR Cup title in 2003. He now wants to run select races both in NASCAR, and in other disciplines.
“This is not the end,” Busch said. “It’s a step in a different direction”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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