Tag: Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch looks back on his NASCAR title, 20 years on

The 2004 season of the NASCAR Cup Series was the first running of “The Chase,” forerunner of today’s playoff format. The 10-race brawl making up that first Chase was fought out between Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin and …

The 2004 season of the NASCAR Cup Series was the first running of “The Chase,” forerunner of today’s playoff format. The 10-race brawl making up that first Chase was fought out between Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin and then 26-year-old, fourth-year Cup racer Kurt Busch. With a fifth-place finish in the final round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Busch took home the title, a memory he savors 20 years on.

“I think it’s appropriate to look back on it being 20 years ago and around this time of year when I was able to win the championship in NASCAR,” reflects Busch. “In 2004 it was just a whole new revolutionizing type of year, with Nextel being the sponsor of the entitlement. Winston was gone and then having a new series point structure… I mean, it was an incredible time to be part of the sport.”

What placed Busch on a trajectory towards that championship day was earning a spot in the Roush Racing ‘Gong Show’ in 1999. Rookie of the Year in the 1998 NASCAR AutoZone Southwest Series, Busch got the Gong Show invite, and after excelling, won a Craftsman Truck Series job. In the No. 99 Roush Racing Ford F-150, Busch was the championship runner-up in the 2000 Truck Series.

Gong Show success earned Kurt Busch the chance to earn his NASCAR wings in the Truck Series. Here he gets a lesson in bump drafting from Mike Wallace. Phil Abbott/Motorsport Images

“Running and winning the Southwest Tour Championship in 1999, that sort of put some eyeballs on me,” says Busch. “1999 was a banner year that helped me get to the Gong Show, which was named after a TV show from the 1970s. There were five of us. There was the Northwest Tour champion. I was the Southwest Tour champion. There was somebody from the Goody’s Dash Series. There were Modified racers. It was really cool.

“There was a Gong Show tryout in Toledo, Ohio. That was a tough little and mean half-mile. And then there was a second tryout. It was like they weren’t quite convinced on who was the top dog. The second tryout was in Phoenix. I had a few laps around that track with my Southwest Tour car, so I felt really confident going into the second Gong Show. At the first one, I was so nervous. I was the fastest, but I blew the tires off the poor truck. So the second time around, I was way more calm. I felt like, ‘The phone is ringing, and there is gonna be other opportunities to possibly make my way up.’ I was really relaxed on the second tryout, and that helped my performance. It was a standout performance.

“So I won the Gong Show, and I go to Daytona to race in my first-ever Truck race, and I wrecked about 100 different times and still somehow finished second. I then settled in with the Trucks. I mean, we almost won Mesa Marin in our fourth race together. I won Milwaukee in in July of that year for my first win in the Truck Series, and at the end of the day, with four wins, four poles and we were second in points to my teammate Greg Biffle. That was one of those dynasty-type years that you felt was happening. It felt like Greg and I went to the track every week and it seemed like it was a one-two finish. It made it so much fun to learn it all and to be in the professional side of it.”

“I won the Gong Show in July, and then in August, Jack Roush says to me, ‘Hey, you want to go Cup racing?’ That was really one of my first sit-downs with Jack and I was just floored. I was just beside myself and going, ‘I just came out of basically a Legends car last August, and you’re asking me to do a Cup race. Man, I’m ready if you’re ready, but we’re probably gonna wreck some s***.’

Kurt Busch and Jimmy Fennig, pictured here in 2002, quickly built an effective rapport. 

Robert LeSieur/Motorsport Images

“And this is what Jack Roush said to me: ‘I’d rather you make mistakes at the top level than be here in the Trucks for another year or in the Busch [now Xfinity] Series for another year. I’d rather you make mistakes at the top level.’ And away we went. It was just such a fast transition from being a local racer in 1998 to being in the Cup Series in 2000.

“It was an opportunity of a lifetime. What was I supposed to say as a 22-year-old? ‘No, I don’t want to go to the Cup Series?’ I knew it was too soon, and I looked up to guys like Jeff Gordon and Ron Hornaday Jr., who had just made it from the West Coast. The West Coast doors were wide open at the time. And you know, I did OK in my rookie year in Cup.”

By 2002 the Las Vegas native was established at the highest level of the sport and, teaming up with crew chief Jimmy Fennig, managed to pull down his first win at Bristol in March. But it was the following year that things really started to click

“2003 seemed like we were running so strong on the big tracks,” Busch remembers. “That’s when the coil binding era of NASCAR was starting to pop up as the primary way to set cars up. At Roush, we had all the teams working as hard as we could to figure out the setups for coil binding. We found a system that worked, and it just made us consistent. We were consistent and right in the game every week.

“2003 is when the sport slowed down for me. I could feel the car and I could not get so anxious and nervous about certain situations and I could make clean, good passes. That also made me more confident with the media — and that backfired. 2003 was probably also my toughest year with different rival drivers, getting in trouble with the media or whatever it may have been. I said to myself, ‘I need to block the media side of this out. I need to become more professional, and I need to keep the same focus with the car that basically has us running a top five every week.’

Busch felt the sport slowed down for him in 2003, while he sped up dueling the likes of Jimmie Johnson. Motorsport Images

“That’s what led to 2004. It was a nice mental reset of knowing that I was starting to master the cars, master the setups, and then me and Jimmy Fennig, once they announced the new point system, we sat down on Jan. 1 and had a game plan all the way to Homestead that year.

“2004 was truly just a magical year. The way the season started, our overall game plan was to be an underdog and to be kind of a sleeper team, and some of that was to save our test sessions back in the day. You used to be able to pick five or six or seven tracks to go and test at during the weeks of the season. But if you used them up early in the year, you didn’t have them later in the year. We used all of our setups for 2003 to start, and then as the season went on, of course, we were advancing. We were running right in the middle of the top 10.”

The September race at New Hampshire International Speedway started the title run for Busch, Fennig and the Roush Racing crew.

“We started testing right before the playoffs started. We started at New Hampshire, Dover, Kansas, Charlotte, Homestead and Martinsville,” Busch relates. “We were everywhere and we worked hard. It was so stressful, though. That was the only thing we didn’t see coming. It was the extra test sessions and still running up front in the points in the playoffs.

“We won the first-ever NASCAR playoff race in Loudon and we set the tone. We were like, ‘OK, we’re done being the underdogs. We’re here for the for the show.’

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Kurt Busch arrested on charges of reckless driving, DWI

Kurt Busch has a September court date after the former NASCAR Cup Series champion was arrested for DWI, reckless driving, and speeding earlier this week in Iredell County, North Carolina. The incident happened after 11:30pm Tuesday when Busch was …

Kurt Busch has a September court date after the former NASCAR Cup Series champion was arrested for DWI, reckless driving, and speeding earlier this week in Iredell County, North Carolina.

The incident happened after 11:30pm Tuesday when Busch was pulled over for going 63mph in a 45mph zone in Mooresville. Busch was reported to have “red glassy eyes” and a “strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath.” He admitted to having been drinking before getting behind the wheel.

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WCNC reported Busch registered a 0.17 blood alcohol concentration. The legal limit in North Carolina is 0.08.

Busch was released from the Iredell County Detention Center early Wednesday morning after signing a promise to appear in court on Sept. 19.

“I’m very disappointed in myself and I apologize to my family, racing family, and to my fans,” Busch said in a statement. I will work with the authorities to rectify the situation and work with the county to make it a safer place in the future.”

Busch retired from NASCAR competition last season, however, he had been sidelined since July 2022 after suffering a concussion at Pocono Raceway. He continues to have ties to 23XI Racing in a consulting role and mentor.

“I did wear my emotions on my sleeve”: Kurt Busch reflects on an extraordinary NASCAR career

When Kurt Busch crashed during qualifying at Pocono last summer, nobody – Busch included – knew that we’d just seen one of modern NASCAR’s best drivers and biggest personalities behind the wheel for the last time. Just over one year on, Busch …

When Kurt Busch crashed during qualifying at Pocono last summer, nobody – Busch included – knew that we’d just seen one of modern NASCAR’s best drivers and biggest personalities behind the wheel for the last time.

Just over one year on, Busch recently confirmed that the ongoing effects of the concussion he sustained in that crash had led him to the decision to retire from Cup Series racing, closing the book on a 23-year career that yielded 34 wins from 776 starts at NASCAR’s top level, the 2004 Cup Series championship, victories in all of three of NASCAR’s national series, and a range of cameos including the Indianapolis 500 (where he earned 2004’s Rookie of the Year honors), the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the NHRA.

RACER writer Eric Johnson witnessed much of Busch’s career first-hand, and in the days after Busch’s retirement became official, the pair sat down to talk about the journey he’s taken.

Q: Now that you’ve announced your retirement and a little bit of time has gone by, how do you feel?

KURT BUSCH: I feel really good. It’s been a nice run. I’ve been very blessed and privileged to have been able to run for over two decades at the top of the NASCAR Cup Series. I’ve met all the different people, the teams, the sponsors, and have won the races and wrecked some cars and have developed teams. That’s all been part of the process. But again, it’s so much of a thankfulness to the opportunity that I had, because there’s so many other kids that are just as good as I am that didn’t get this opportunity. That’s where I feel blessed with this chance. It was a good run and I don’t think there’s anything that I could have done any better or different. Looking back on it all, I would not change a thing.

Q: When you’ve been walking around at the recent races, have drivers or fans or industry people come up to you and started hitting you with anecdotes and memories and various other things that you may have collected along the way?

KB: It’s been incredible. The older drivers, crew chiefs, legends, guys like Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart, or a friend of mine named Matt Kenseth, have all come up and spoken with me. Chief chiefs like Jimmy Fennig, Pat Tryson or even my pal Matt McCall, who’s still out there digging hard right now, have all spoken with me. And then there is of my favorites, Billy Scott, who’s currently leading our team at 23XI Racing, who has checked in with me. Those moments and those stories and those feelings and those bro hugs and the respect of what’s gone on over the years have been so amazing to me.

And there is also to my sponsors, team owners and different guys down the different garage areas and paddocks that I’ve been have all talked with me. In fact, if I go to the IndyCar race in Nashville, I can’t walk with three feet and not bump into somebody that I know. This is so cool to have this opportunity now. It is so cool to be able to take a step back and still be active with the sport with Monster Energy and with Toyota and doing different things with the manufacturers. I’ve just been going down the memory lane with everything.

Q: What does your dad Tom make of all of this? He’s the guy who took you out to Pahrump Speedway in Las Vegas 30 years ago.

KB: My dad is ultimately the number one factor that helps Kyle and I make it in all motorsports. The versatility, the working and the discipline was always there. We worked on the cars. When we would wreck them, we’d have to fix them and then you would learn to race differently because it was counterproductive to moving forward. We were always able to sell off some of the cars and jump up to the next division. Then we would buy the old cars back once we made it to the sort of Cup Series.

It’s all come full circle for my dad. But ultimately, it’s his work ethic along, with my mom being there with all of us. Grandma was also always there. We had great volunteers that loved to help our race teams because what Kyle and I were out there racing they knew we had a shot to win every single time we showed a track. And that’s what led to a lot of Kyle and I being able to move up is all the men and women that helped us at volunteering back in Las Vegas.

Busch made his Cup debut at Dover in 2000, but his breakout season came in 2002, when he took Roush’s No.97 Ford to four wins. And with increasing success came increasing media attention. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images

Q: A really significant thing your dad taught both you and Kyle was adaptability, wasn’t it?

KB: It was. And it was simple because he would make us work on the car first and then you would understand it when you would drive it on the second opportunity. And there’d be nights where I’d be in Dwarf car, I’d be in a Legends car and in an IMCA Modified, all on the same night and in three divisions. I’d qualify up front and I’d run in the Trophy Dash. My dad would literally be bringing one car out to victory lane after the Trophy Dash, and I’d be jumping in next car and go out there and be ripping around. And so it was really cool back in 1996, I was able to win the Dwarf Car, Legend Car and Hobby Stock Championship at Las Vegas Speedway Park. I won all three divisions in one year. And I’m just a 16-year-old kid is out there just grabbing gears and going.

But it was all because my dad’s work ethic and what he taught us to do to preserve a car and to race it smart and to not get in wrecks and not use the equipment and to be smart with racecraft. It was the same thing in Cup. You know, you’re adapting to short tracks, intermediates road courses and superspeedways.

Then to jump on the scene and win a bunch of races in my second year in Cup, that’s when it finally slowed down and settled in for me because I had to go learn all those new racetracks, as well. And then with the 2003 IROC championship, that’s when I felt like I was on my way.

Q: IROC was some of the best racing ever.

KB: It’s a riot, you know? It was so much fun with the IndyCar guys, the drag racing guys and the World of Outlaw guys and the other stock car guys. Of course, the stock our guys had the advantage with IROC, but it was just so cool. The camaraderie and that fraternity of guys. Me and Scott Dixon; we were probably almost teenagers when we’re running against each other way back. And now look at him. He’s a top dog and legend of all of IndyCar.

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Kurt Busch and Pagenaud sharing concussion experience together

Kurt Busch knows better than anyone what NTT IndyCar Series driver Simon Pagenaud is going through after a concussion prematurely ended the open-wheel ace’s season. Pagenaud suffered a suspected brake failure on the back straightaway at Mid-Ohio in …

Kurt Busch knows better than anyone what NTT IndyCar Series driver Simon Pagenaud is going through after a concussion prematurely ended the open-wheel ace’s season.

Pagenaud suffered a suspected brake failure on the back straightaway at Mid-Ohio in late June, sending his Meyer Shank Racing Honda off the course and barrel-rolling through the gravel. It came to rest against the tire barriers.

Although the former series champion and 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner was checked and released by the IndyCar medical team, lingering concussion symptoms kept him from the final eight races of the season. Pagenaud is still not cleared to race.

“His marketing agency and scheduling agency are the same as mine,” Busch said Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway when asked about Pagenaud. “I was able to get his phone number very quickly and I’ve communicated with him. Texts, phone calls, even things with his wife just to add in where I can help and to offer different doctors that I’ve seen and different procedures that I’ve gone through. His [injury] is very similar.”

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Busch, the 2004 Cup Series champion, was forced into retirement sooner than he anticipated after being sidelined by a concussion in July 2022. A rear impact from a qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway took Busch out of his 23XI Racing Toyota for the second half of the season as he struggled to get clearance to race again.

Hopeful to return to racing, he said he wouldn’t be full-time in 2023 as 23XI Racing welcomed Tyler Reddick into the fold, and Busch continued to work with his doctors. Last month, Busch officially retired.

There is no way to determine a timeline for Pagenaud to return.

“At the end of the day, working with different neurologists, I’ve learned there are six different major types of concussions, and then there are 20 to 30 variants of each,” Busch said. “Age can come into play. The violent accident that was the final one of you couldn’t pass the concussion protocol. Then there is quantity of wrecks and other things over time that add up.

“It’s not just a playbook that says, ‘Hey, you broke your arm, and you’re going to be back in three weeks or six weeks.’ A guy like Aaron Rodgers just tore his Achilles tendon, and is his schedule the same as a young guy that would tear and have that same injury? We don’t know.”

Kurt Busch talks about battling ‘Father Time’ during 2022 NASCAR season

Kurt Busch discusses battling “Father Time” during the 2022 NASCAR season before his concussion at Pocono Raceway.

[autotag]Kurt Busch[/autotag]’s official retirement from NASCAR has been well-documented due to the circumstances surrounding it. Almost everyone who knows the situation understands that Busch retired due to a concussion suffered during a qualifying wreck at Pocono Raceway in July 2022. The former NASCAR driver has not been in a Cup Series car since that incident.

However, not many people truly understood what Busch was battling during the 2022 NASCAR season. “Father Time” remains undefeated and unfortunately, the 2004 Cup Series champion faced this reality on several occasions. During his press conference at Daytona International Speedway, Busch talked about the toll on his body when he was still racing.

“My body is just having a battle with Father Time,” Busch said. “I’ve had arthritis ever since I can remember, my gout has flared up where I can barely walk in some days. Just pushing to get through physical therapy and continuing to work out. I remember last summer I was trying not to show that emotion, and I could barely walk to the car in Dover. I had to have some shots prerace just so I could move my knee and move my feet.”

“Those were those moments where things were starting to add up before things that happened at Pocono. Father Time, unfortunately. I’m 45-years-old. I’m happy, I’m complacent, and there is nothing that I look back on with regret about having this opportunity at the top level of NASCAR.”

The good thing involving Busch’s retirement is that he is happy and complacent. It was a simple accident that turned into something no one could have imagined over time. Now, the former NASCAR driver will look forward to his official post-racing career and continue to help 23XI Racing in any way that is possible.

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Kurt Busch discusses his future at 23XI Racing after retirement

Kurt Busch talks about his future with 23XI Racing after officially announcing his retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series.

[autotag]Kurt Busch[/autotag] announced his retirement from NASCAR before the Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway last weekend. It was an emotional day as a NASCAR champion said goodbye to the sport in a way no one could have imagined before the 2022 season. Well, that doesn’t mean Busch will be leaving overall.

Busch has been involved with [autotag]23XI Racing[/autotag] while being a good mentor for both Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. The 2004 Cup Series champion has stayed engaged following his concussion at Pocono Raceway in July 2022 and that should remain the case moving forward. Busch was asked in a press conference if he would continue working with 23XI Racing in an advisory department and it was a positive response.

“Yes, as long as they will allow me,” Busch said. “I made up my official title this year. I was called CFD — that is coefficient of drag, really. That is what CFD stands for, but I re-nicknamed it captain of the fun department. That has been a good role, and here lately, I’ve revised it I want to be slightly more professional with the group, so I’ve named myself CVO — chief vision officer.”

“Whatever it means is whatever it means, but I’ve enjoyed working with all of the departments and being that extra set of eyes and helping our team advance so that we can win more races, be more competitive, and have shots at winning championships because that is who personally that I am and I want to give back to the team.”

It is great that Busch is still involved with 23XI Racing following his concussion but it is even better that he remains “happy” and has “no regrets” about racing in NASCAR. Much like many other retired drivers, it will be interesting to see how Busch stays involved in the sport.

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Kurt Busch talks about his retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series

Kurt Busch discusses his retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series following the announcement at Daytona International Speedway.

[autotag]Kurt Busch[/autotag] suffered a concussion during a qualifying wreck at Pocono Raceway in July 2022. Unfortunately for Busch, that was the last time he sat in a NASCAR Cup Series car as an active driver. In fact, it has finally led to the 2004 Cup Series champion announcing his retirement from NASCAR at Daytona International Speedway last weekend.

Busch retired with one championship and 34 Cup Series victories, including one in his final season with 23XI Racing at Kansas Speedway. Following the announcement, Busch talked to the media about his retirement and was asked about his future plans.

“It’s difficult to know which avenues will lead to what in the short-term futures,” Busch said. “I’m still wanting to get doctor approval and get cleared. That’s the first step. That’s what I need to do personally. Then, I will have opportunities to talk to different motorsports teams and sponsors on doing other races.”

“But, the perspective and taking a little step back from being in the car every week, the joy that I’ve found is that everything has slowed down for me to help analyze the data, give advice to (Bubba Wallace), to give advice to (Tyler Reddick), the engineering staff, the team members at (23XI Racing). It’s really neat to have all of this current knowledge and having the opportunity to digest it and give back to this team. That’s the short-term goal.”

Busch also said he is “happy and complacent” and doesn’t regret having this opportunity at NASCAR’s top level. It is disappointing to see the former Cup Series champion retire due to a concussion but he is enjoying his post-racing career. Now, the next step for Busch is to be cleared and continue to improve his health.

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Kurt Busch announces retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR driver Kurt Busch has officially announced his retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series following his concussion in 2022.

NASCAR driver [autotag]Kurt Busch[/autotag] has officially announced his retirement from the Cup Series after working on a return to the sport. Busch, 45, suffered a concussion in a qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway in July 2022. The 45-year-old driver hasn’t competed in a Cup Series for over 13 months after he finished in 10th place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Busch finished his full-time Cup Series career with a victory at Kansas Speedway in the No. 45 car for 23XI Racing. He was on pace to make the 2022 playoffs before the incident. Busch ends his full-time career with 34 Cup Series wins and one championship coming in the 2004 season for Roush Fenway Racing.

Busch will almost certainly be in the Hall-of-Fame once he is eligible in the coming years. It is a disappointing end for the 2004 Cup Series champion but one that could have been expected after Busch announced he would not be full-time in 2023. Now, the former driver will continue his post-racing career with 23XI Racing and help the next generation of young NASCAR stars.

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Kurt Busch officially retires from NASCAR competition

Kurt Busch officially announced his retirement from NASCAR with a video posted on social media Saturday afternoon. “Racing requires 100 percent of focus, heart, stamina and determination, and I’ve never raced a day without all of that in mind,” he …

Kurt Busch officially announced his retirement from NASCAR with a video posted on social media Saturday afternoon.

“Racing requires 100 percent of focus, heart, stamina and determination, and I’ve never raced a day without all of that in mind,” he said. “But sometimes father time can catch up to your dreams. My incredible team of doctors and I have come to the conclusion that at this point in my recovery there are just too many obstacles for me to overcome and get back to 100 percent.

“So, after 23 years behind the wheel and 45 years of living and breathing this dream, I’m officially announcing my retirement from NASCAR Cup Series competition.”

Busch has not competed since July 2022 when he suffered a concussion during a crash in qualifying at Pocono Raceway. His No. 45 Toyota spun and hit the Turn 3 wall with the rear before snapping around and hitting the right front.

The 45-year-old remained committed to a return behind the wheel even when announcing in October the end of his full-time driving career. Busch’s final season came in the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing, which he is still working with in a mentorship role.

Busch made 776 starts in the Cup Series with 34 career victories. His accomplishments include an All-Star Race victory and triumph in the Daytona 500.

He captured his sole Cup Series championship in 2004 — the first year of NASCAR’s initial playoff format.

Across the three NASCAR national series, Busch made 834 starts, winning four races in the Craftsman Truck Series and five in the Xfinity Series.

Sneak peak: Fox – NASCAR’s greatest Darlington finish

Do you remember what happened at Darlington Raceway a little over 20 years ago? Hint: Ricky Craven vs. Kurt Busch. Still need more? It was a photo finish between the two in the spring race at one of NASCAR’s toughest and most respected racetracks. …

Do you remember what happened at Darlington Raceway a little over 20 years ago?

Hint: Ricky Craven vs. Kurt Busch.

Still need more? It was a photo finish between the two in the spring race at one of NASCAR’s toughest and most respected racetracks.

Fox Sports will air a short feature on the duel between Craven and Busch before Sunday’s Goodyear 400. With this season being the 75th anniversary of NASCAR, there is no better time to celebrate some of the sport’s great moments, and Fox Sports has been airing features and re-enactments throughout.

Craven and Busch became an instant classic on March 16, 2003 — one that has withstood the test of time when it comes to NASCAR highlights and the conversation around classic races and great finishes.

Both drivers sat for the feature, which Fox Sports shared with RACER early. Both explained the frantic finish as the race played out on screen in front of them.

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The view switches back and forth between Craven and Busch.

“(Turns) 1 and 2, I’m fine,” recalls Busch of the final lap.

“I came off the accelerator here because it’s not going to happen,” says Craven as the race footage rolls. “But (Turns) 3 and 4 is where the magic was.”

“This is where I froze,” says Busch.

The two made contact coming off the final corner, their cars seemingly locked together coming to the finish line. The margin of victory with Craven nipping ahead of Busch was 0.002s — the closest in NASCAR history. Just once has that margin been matched: Talladega Superspeedway in April 2011 during the tandem draft era.

Others included in the feature: Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds, two of the broadcasters from that day. The excitement from the two in the booth made the call unforgettable.

Busch gets emotional at one point in the feature as he talks about coming up short in the battle against Craven. Of the triumphs that Busch had in his Cup Series career, winning at Darlington Raceway never happened for him.

Darlington was the second and final win of Craven’s Cup Series career, and, “It was the only time my children were in victory lane with me,” he explained.

The full feature will air during NASCAR RaceDay at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday.