NASCAR released a statement Sunday morning indicating that veteran driver Kurt Busch will not race at Pocono Raceway after crashing during qualifying on Saturday:
“This morning,” the statement read. “Kurt Busch met with doctors in the infield care center for further evaluation following his accident during yesterday’s qualifying session. Following the evaluation, Kurt Busch has not been cleared to race in today’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway.”
Busch’s Toyota slammed into the outside wall hard during his final lap. The car was heavily damaged, but Busch was able to exit the car under his own power. He was initially checked and cleared from the infield care center.
The check out Sunday morning at the care center seems to have changed that.
“NASCAR has done a great job of putting the drivers’ health before competition,” Busch said in a statement posted to social media. “I respect the decision they have made. I’m still having concussion-like symptoms from yesterday’s impact in qualifying. The tests demonstrated I am still recovering. I will continue to follow the recommendations, and appreciate everyone’s support. Thanks to 23XI and their efforts, let’s get back on track in Indy!”
Shortly before that, 23XI Racing confirmed that Ty Gibbs would replace Busch. Gibbs has made 36 starts in NASCAR’s Xfinity series scoring 8 wins and finished second in Saturday’s Xfinity race. He will be making his NASCAR Cup debut.
Busch came into Pocono 14th in the point standings and has a provisional playoff entry thanks to his win at Kansas Speedway in May. NASCAR confirmed that he will get a playoff waiver if he qualifies for the postseason.
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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