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.
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.
Simon Pagenaud will NOT be in today’s race on @USANetwork and @peacock after this crash in Saturday’s practice.
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.
Kurt Busch crashes HARD in qualifying at @PoconoRaceway!
The @23XIRacing driver made it into the final round, but this crash likely puts them in a backup and at the rear of the field. #NASCAR
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For The Win polled NASCAR drivers to see what they think about their competitors on and off the track.
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season ended Sunday with Joey Logano winning his second championship after taking the checkered flag at Phoenix Raceway. And the end of the season means it’s time for For The Win’s annual NASCAR Superlatives.
Throughout the last several weeks, we polled 13 drivers with the same 10 questions about their competitors’ skills behind the wheel, as well as their personalities away from the track.
Obviously, there have been numerous examples this year of drivers being furious and frustrated with each other, but some of them are friends who have been racing against each other for a while. Our annual investigation reveals what some of them really think about each other.
Here’s what some of NASCAR’s top drivers had to say about each other this year. And if you’re curious about previous editions…
These answers have been condensed and edited for clarity.
1. Which driver who is not a champion will be a champion at some point?
(Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Daniel Suárez: You’re talking to him.
Joey Logano: Probably Ryan Blaney. I see the improvement he’s made over the last few years, and he’s got a ton of speed. So I’d say he’s getting closer and closer. He’s consistently in the Round of 8 every year for the last few, so I’d say he’s on the brink of making it to the Championship 4.
Bubba Wallace: Ryan Blaney.
Chase Elliott: Ryan Blaney.
Ryan Blaney: I don’t want to say myself because that would be too obvious of like, boosting your own ego. But obviously you want see yourself win a championship. Other than me, [William] Byron has been strong. Obviously, Denny Hamlin has kind of been on the verge of one for a long time.
Austin Cindric: It’s hard to not say Denny Hamlin. He’s come very close, and I think he’s probably the most realistic answer.
Ross Chastain: Ross Chastain.
Kyle Larson: William Byron. I feel like he’s very driven, very focused, works really hard and has a lot of talent, mentally is pretty tough. He just seems like a NASCAR champion.
Martin Truex Jr.: Christopher Bell.
Alex Bowman: William Byron.
Brad Keselowski: I’m going to say William Byron. He’s growing, he’s maturing, he’s with a great team. I think it will click, it just hasn’t yet.
William Byron: I’d first like to say myself, selfishly. There’s a lot of options there. Denny Hamlin comes to mind. If he’s not a champion really soon, I think he’ll be a champion, just the way that he is able to run consistently well. And I think he’s an intelligent race car driver and knows how to put himself in position towards the end of the year to have a chance to win in this format.
Harrison Burton: I think there’s a lot of good young guys that haven’t won one yet. But I think a good one would probably be William Byron. He’s been fast a lot, won a lot of races, so he’ll probably end up being [a champion] one day.
2. Which driver who hasn’t won the Daytona 500 will win it at some point?
(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Suárez: Same question, same answer, me.
Chastain: Ross Chastain.
Wallace: Us! It’s funny, [Ryan] Blaney’s also had two or three second-place finishes, so we’re kind of tied on that scenario. But I’m gonna go with myself.
Elliott: Same guy for me, [Blaney]. He’s finished second about 10 times.
Blaney: Either myself or I think Chase Elliott. He runs pretty good at superspeedways.
Truex: [Laughs] I want to say me.
Bowman: Probably also William Byron.
Larson: Ryan Blaney, for sure. I think he’s just a really good superspeedway racer and is in contention a lot of times. All drivers, they’ll probably mostly say Ryan Blaney.
Cindric: Ryan Blaney.
Logano: Pick one, anyone could win.
Byron: I’d say Ryan Blaney because I think he’s really good at the superspeedway races. He’s always, always at the front. He’s very aggressive, knows how to make the right decisions and stuff. He’s been close already.
Burton: That’s a hard, hard race to win. I think Ryan Blaney will probably get one soon.
Keselowski: Shoot, the last three years, I’ve been in the top-3 in the last few laps and gotten wrecked or something’s happened. Just gotta keep [getting into position] and eventually it’ll happen.
3. Which driver has the best social media personality?
Suárez: Oh my god, you want to have the same answer for every question?
Blaney: [Kevin] Harvick’s been cracking me up here the last couple months, which has been fun to watch. He’ll get all sassy with everybody, and I get a good chuckle out of that. He and Hamlin have a really funny Twitter. I love waking up and seeing [Harvick] go on rants the next morning. I love reading all through it.
Cody please take the time to read all of my tweets before typing. Thank you…. https://t.co/uT8hGM4D1G
Chastain: Not Ross Chastain. Pretty much anybody but [me]. I honestly don’t even have a good working knowledge of what people are posting.
Logano: Can I pick myself? I pick myself because I like cars.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfaMwfjpZ0y/
Wallace: Depends on what you’re going for. First ones that come to mind are Denny, Kyle [Busch], myself.
Byron: I don’t think any of us are that great at it, I’ll be honest. Bubba comes to mind. He’s probably the most comfortable with social media, I would say, so his personality comes across. I would look at it as who’s the most authentic? Whose personality is really showing? And I think he’s the most authentic on there, speaks his mind.
Larson: Probably Denny [Hamlin]. Over the last probably three or four or five years, he’s really stepped up, it seems, his social media stuff, and he’s pretty funny on there. He does do, I would say, a lot of it himself, but I know his social media guy, and he’s pretty witty with all that too.
Cindric: I don’t really like Twitter. I use it, but I don’t like it. I like Instagram a lot better. But I don’t know.
Burton: I don’t follow them all. So I don’t know. I would say my dad, Jeff Burton. He’s killing his Instagram game recently. For an old guy, he’s doing pretty good.
4. Which driver has the best sense of humor?
(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Truex: I got nothing.
Bowman: Definitely me. Dry as the desert.
Blaney: Bubba [Wallace] and Chase [Elliott]. I think you get different personalities out of people away from their job. It’s kind of hard to judge somebody from how they act at the race track or something because a lot of times, you’re you’re dead-set focused on the task at hand, and it’s hard to kind of really let loose or joke around too much. Everyone’s personality is very different away from the race track.
Wallace: Myself.
Chastain: Ryan Blaney. It’s dry, but I think I understand it though. Most people probably don’t.
Keselowski: Blaney. He’s just a fun guy to be around, and he’s chill.
Elliott: Skip.
Logano: This used to be the Clint Bowyer answer back in the day. Can I pick myself again? I can’t keep picking myself [laughs].
Cindric: Kevin Harvick has a pretty dry sense of humor, which I always enjoy. Sometimes it’s at the expense of something or someone else, but it’s Kevin Harvick.
Byron: Kyle Busch kind of has a pretty funny sense of humor. Like, when I drove for for [Kyle Busch Motorsports], I always thought he was kind of funny. He’s pretty brash, but it’s kind of funny sometimes because he’s so unfiltered.
Suárez: Probably Noah Gragson.
Burton: Todd Gilliland is the guy that probably makes me laugh the most in the garage. He’s a rookie, so I hang out with him quite a bit. And yeah, he’s funny as heck, that’s for sure.
Larson: The first name that came to my mind was Corey LaJoie. He’s really funny and quick.
5. Which driver is most likely to drop an f-bomb in a live TV interview?
(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Logano: Typically, I’d say Kyle Busch, but he seems like he’s cleaned it up a little lately. Kevin [Harvick] is not likely anymore either. Those are two likely candidates back in the day. Bubba [Wallace] maybe?
Suárez: Probably me! I did that a few times after I won.
Cindric: Kyle Busch.
Keselowski: Yeah, probably Kyle Busch.
Chastain: Darrell Wallace.
Elliott: [Kevin] Harvick.
Byron: Oh, for sure [Kyle Busch]. I think that’s already happened. He’s for sure halfway there, if not already there.
Burton: Kyle Busch, I’d say it’s a good guess.
Truex: Kyle Busch.
Larson: Probably Noah Gragson.
Wallace: Noah Gragson.
Bowman: Noah Gragson.
Blaney: Man, I think any of us are capable of it. It’s just a matter of how upset you are. But I feel like that’s a big one to drop. I could see dropping a number of other cuss words, so you really have to mean it to drop that one. I could see Kyle Busch dropping one, but he hasn’t yet, I don’t believe, in his whole career, so maybe he won’t.
6. Which driver has had the most surprising season?
(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Truex: I would say Ross Chastain because they just consistently perform well, and they’re still a fairly new team.
Keselowski: Ross Chastain. He’s still in the final four, and I guess I probably didn’t see that coming.
Blaney: Chastain’s had a really good first year at Trackhouse. Not surprising, he’s doing well, but I think he’s, you know, run better than people have thought in his first year over there. Another one who I’m surprised hasn’t run better or won like they’re used to doing is [Martin] Truex.
Cindric: Daniel Suárez. He’s been in the sport for a while and, quite honestly, in very capable cars. And whether he’s grown or he’s in a great situation or he wasn’t in good situations before, I feel like it’s kind of his third attempt at being in a top team, and he’s done very well with it.
Wallace: Probably Briscoe. Obviously got that win at Phoenix [in the spring], and the Stewart-Haas [Racing] cars haven’t been that great all year. But the last 10 races, he’s gotten hot at the right time.
Byron: Definitely Ross Chastain. I assumed he would be a playoff contender, for sure, based on how he ran the 42. But I felt like it would just be a steady progression from last year and the 42 car. Those guys, as soon as the season started, have been contenders and been difficult and hard to beat basically a lot of tracks.
Suárez: My team as a whole — not just myself but my teammate as well. Trackhouse as a whole, more [successful] than most people expected. We are having some good success and that has been very, very good.
Bowman: Ross Chastain. I just didn’t see that much success coming this year. They’ve been really strong, and I know Ross is really good. I just didn’t expect them to do what they’ve done.
Logano: This whole year’s been a surprise. Kurt Busch is one who comes to my mind, not for good reasons. Obviously, the win early in the year was great, but his whole year is just a surprise probably to all of us.
Burton: Chase Briscoe is having a really good year. Not that it’s surprising, I guess, because he’s won a lot of races in Xfinity, but he’s done a really good job from last year to this year, making it as far as he has in the playoffs and getting good finishes when he hasn’t run well. I feel like there are days where he’ll run towards the back and then find a way to finish up front, which is really hard to do in this series.
Larson: Surprisingly good — great! — Ross Chastain. I knew he was going to be good. I wasn’t surprised to see them strong early in the year, but I thought that that team might tail off as the season got on. But they haven’t. Surprisingly not good — not that he hasn’t been great because he’s been in contention a lot — but Martin Truex. I’m just surprised that they haven’t won.
Chastain: Ross Chastain. I’ve never won races. I’d only finished in the top-5 three times in my career before this year, and now we’ve done it [15] times. Brand-new team, new ownership and two drivers that had never competed at the front consistently, and we’ve done that this year. I’m a [watermelon] farmer, so it’s surprising that I can drive a race car.
7. You’re leading the race and there are two laps left; which driver would you want behind you?
(Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Blaney: None of them. I don’t think you want any of them within a car length or two of you.
Logano: All of them.
Elliott: No one. I hope they’re far enough away or nobody’s close to you.
Wallace: I’ll go with Blaney.
Bowman: I don’t care.
Truex: Probably Kyle Busch, just because I know he’d race with respect. We have a good relationship, and we always race well together. Very, very hard racing, but clean and fair.
Byron: A teammate would be better than than others probably. So I’d say maybe Chase [Elliott] or Alex [Bowman] or Kyle [Larson]. Any of those three would be a good one to have.
Larson: I guess it depends on the race track, but I don’t I don’t really care. I guess any of them.
Suárez: For a comfortable situation, I’d say my teammate, Ross [Chastain].
Keselowski: Probably Chris Buescher. He’s a good teammate.
Burton: Another rookie, probably Todd Gilliland or Austin Cindric, I’d say, because I feel like we’re all in the same boat. So we’ll be in good shape there.
Chastain: Line ’em up however they want, doesn’t matter.
8. You’re leading the race and there are two laps left; which driver do you absolutely not want behind you?
(John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)
Logano: I really don’t care. You’ve got to beat them all, so it doesn’t matter. Whoever, I don’t think it makes a difference, honestly. Everybody’s gonna be willing to do something to win a race, and what they’re willing to do is sometimes pretty fluid. I think you treat them all the same because you just don’t know.
Suárez: A driver that is in a must-win situation, that has a lot of pressure. Any of the drivers that are in the playoffs that are below the cutline, those guys, they have to do whatever they have to do. If I was in their position, I would do the same thing. Those guys, it’s not good to have them behind me because they will have to do dumb moves to do whatever they have to do to get the job done.
Keselowski: Probably Chase Briscoe. the last few times he’s been running second with like two or three laps to go, he’s wrecked the leader — in case you were wondering the rationale.
Byron: Man, I don’t want any of them behind me. But I don’t think really any of them intimidate me, per se. I think some are more strategic than others. It just depends on the situation. I can’t pick one there.
Blaney: It doesn’t really matter. To me, you kind of understand and you race around guys enough to where you know who will be more aggressive than others. But this year, everyone’s been really aggressive, so you never know.
Burton: I think I don’t want Ross Chastain behind me because I feel like he’s gonna probably put me in a spot where I’m gonna either have to crash us both, or crash him to try and win. So it’s gonna be crazy at the end if he’s right behind you.
Larson: Seems like Ross Chastain — and I’m not saying this on the on the part that he would crash you for the win — I just feel like he’s really good right now, and he’s really fast. He understands traffic really well. I feel like he does the best job of passing.
Cindric: Ross Chastain. Probably a popular answer.
Chastain: I don’t discriminate. Pick anybody you want, put them right behind me. That’s fine by me.
9. Which driver is most likely to believe in wild conspiracy theories?
(Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Blaney: Oh, gosh, Chase [Elliott]. This was when we were living in the same apartment complex together in North Carolina years ago, like 2015. He’d go down rabbit holes of conspiracy theories all the time. And I’d be over at his apartment sitting there, and he’d just go into a deep dive. I don’t know if he’s still that way or not. But back in 2015, ’16, Chase was a big conspiracy theorist on the aliens, government schemes, all this kind of stuff. And I wasn’t really interested in them. But yeah, he was pretty big into it a handful of years ago.
Wallace: Brad Keselowski.
Logano: Brad [Keselowski] will read the conspiracy theories, for sure, and get fairly deep into stuff before he realizes what the heck’s going on.
Byron: Oh man, I’d say Brad Keselowski. He comes across that way on social media, I think. He definitely reads into things for sure. So I would say him. I’ve seen him do some things with his methods, [like] when he goes out to qualify, he’ll do something different than everybody else.
Bowman: Brad Keselowski.
Keselowski: Me. I’m assuming everybody else has answered me.
Larson: Kyle Busch, for sure. Kyle or Kurt — either of the Buschs.
Burton: I don’t really know why, but the first guy that came to my mind is Denny Hamlin.
Elliott: Tyler Reddick. He just strikes me as a conspiracy theorist maybe, I don’t know.
Cindric: Oh, Michael McDowell. I’ve got a hunch, I’ll leave it at that.
Chastain: Michael McDowell. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. I know him well, and so I can say this: He doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being a little different, little out there in some ways. I love him. I love everything about him and what he stands for and being his friend. But you give him a few crumbs of maybe truth, and he’s gonna run with it.
10. Which driver is having the largest impact on the sport this season?
(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Logano: Kurt Busch. Kurt, right now, has a very loud voice, and he has more time than anybody to focus on the health of our sport and health of our drivers and health and the safety of our cars. And he has taken the ball and run with it. And we all should be appreciative for what Kurt’s been doing for us lately. Kurt takes the cake by a mile.
Truex: Kevin Harvick has had a big impact, especially in talks with NASCAR about the Next Gen car and just bringing things out in the open. And I feel like things are starting to get changed and looked at a lot harder because of him being outspoken.
Completely unacceptable that those in charge have let things get to this point. I remember it like it was yesterday @dennyhamlin in the presentation of the new car to the drivers pleading that the car was to stiff. Data didn’t agree. TIME TO LISTEN TO THE DRIVERS CRASHING THEM! https://t.co/Q9urnlbaWa
Cindric: I’d say it’s a toss up between Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin. I wouldn’t say it’s positive or negative, just impact on the larger scale. They’ve been very outspoken about the car and the series and some things are productive. Some things probably aren’t aimed at being productive. So, from that standpoint, they’ve definitely been been the leaders in that category.
Keselowski: Probably either Kevin Harvick or Denny Hamlin because they’re so outspoken across the board.
Larson: Probably if I had to pick one over everybody, Harvick just on the safety side. Him and Denny together, them two. They’re moving the needle.
(Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Wallace: Ross Chastain. He’s obviously made a lot of headlines this year for the way he races, and obviously, Martinsville was no shortage of that.
Blaney: Honestly, I think like last two years, we’ve seen Bubba [Wallace] have a huge impact on the sport, reaching new audiences, and that’s grown the sport tremendously. I think he’s had a great influence on it. He’s grown different fan bases and grown the sport in a good way. So he’s had a massive impact on it, and I think it’s really cool what he’s done.
Chastain: I’ll say Darrell [Wallace]. He won a race. The following he has and the reach that he has, [it’s] far beyond what I have, in good and bad. What he does travels farther, and what he says carries a heavier weight than something I say. So I think in his winning moments and his not great moments, his car makes it to front pages and headlines farther than mine. He has this opportunity to carry the sport through his career and through his accomplishments on track that I hope to get to. He’s got the potential to just really elevate this sport. I’m glad to be his friend and a competitor. I want to beat him, right? But yeah, I think he’s got the most potential.
Suárez: Honestly, I will say myself because of the win that we had in Sonoma and everything that came with that. I felt like we gained a lot of traction with the Hispanic community, and that was great and I feel like that was amazing, not just for myself but for the entire sport and the history of the sport. So I think that that was pretty remarkable, and it just happened that I was driving.
Byron: I’d say Denny Hamlin because of just the 23XI being a new team and the national presence that the Jordan brand has and stuff like that. So I would say they’ve had the biggest impact on on the way the seasons gone with how vocal they are.
Blaney: Hard to argue against Ross [Chastain] after [Martinsville].
Burton: I’d say probably Kevin Harvick. Actually, I take that back — I’d say Kurt Busch is. Even though he was out for the year, he has been a really good advocate for the drivers and comes to meetings with NASCAR and the drivers and is really involved still. So a guy like that who kind of has just recently announced his retirement, I think he’s been really influencing the sport a lot. So either those two guys have been really influential though.
Chase Elliott: Ross Chastain has certainly been a storyline a lot throughout the year, both good and bad. But he’s been talked about quite a bit, so seems like a pretty good story between him and and Trackhouse and the things they’ve had going on.
For The Win polled NASCAR drivers to see what they think about their competitors on and off the track.
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season ended Sunday with Joey Logano winning his second championship after taking the checkered flag at Phoenix Raceway. And the end of the season means it’s time for For The Win’s annual NASCAR Superlatives.
Throughout the last several weeks, we polled 13 drivers with the same 10 questions about their competitors’ skills behind the wheel, as well as their personalities away from the track.
Obviously, there have been numerous examples this year of drivers being furious and frustrated with each other, but some of them are friends who have been racing against each other for a while. Our annual investigation reveals what some of them really think about each other.
Here’s what some of NASCAR’s top drivers had to say about each other this year. And if you’re curious about previous editions…
These answers have been condensed and edited for clarity.
1. Which driver who is not a champion will be a champion at some point?
(Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Daniel Suárez: You’re talking to him.
Joey Logano: Probably Ryan Blaney. I see the improvement he’s made over the last few years, and he’s got a ton of speed. So I’d say he’s getting closer and closer. He’s consistently in the Round of 8 every year for the last few, so I’d say he’s on the brink of making it to the Championship 4.
Bubba Wallace: Ryan Blaney.
Chase Elliott: Ryan Blaney.
Ryan Blaney: I don’t want to say myself because that would be too obvious of like, boosting your own ego. But obviously you want see yourself win a championship. Other than me, [William] Byron has been strong. Obviously, Denny Hamlin has kind of been on the verge of one for a long time.
Austin Cindric: It’s hard to not say Denny Hamlin. He’s come very close, and I think he’s probably the most realistic answer.
Ross Chastain: Ross Chastain.
Kyle Larson: William Byron. I feel like he’s very driven, very focused, works really hard and has a lot of talent, mentally is pretty tough. He just seems like a NASCAR champion.
Martin Truex Jr.: Christopher Bell.
Alex Bowman: William Byron.
Brad Keselowski: I’m going to say William Byron. He’s growing, he’s maturing, he’s with a great team. I think it will click, it just hasn’t yet.
William Byron: I’d first like to say myself, selfishly. There’s a lot of options there. Denny Hamlin comes to mind. If he’s not a champion really soon, I think he’ll be a champion, just the way that he is able to run consistently well. And I think he’s an intelligent race car driver and knows how to put himself in position towards the end of the year to have a chance to win in this format.
Harrison Burton: I think there’s a lot of good young guys that haven’t won one yet. But I think a good one would probably be William Byron. He’s been fast a lot, won a lot of races, so he’ll probably end up being [a champion] one day.
2. Which driver who hasn’t won the Daytona 500 will win it at some point?
(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Suárez: Same question, same answer, me.
Chastain: Ross Chastain.
Wallace: Us! It’s funny, [Ryan] Blaney’s also had two or three second-place finishes, so we’re kind of tied on that scenario. But I’m gonna go with myself.
Elliott: Same guy for me, [Blaney]. He’s finished second about 10 times.
Blaney: Either myself or I think Chase Elliott. He runs pretty good at superspeedways.
Truex: [Laughs] I want to say me.
Bowman: Probably also William Byron.
Larson: Ryan Blaney, for sure. I think he’s just a really good superspeedway racer and is in contention a lot of times. All drivers, they’ll probably mostly say Ryan Blaney.
Cindric: Ryan Blaney.
Logano: Pick one, anyone could win.
Byron: I’d say Ryan Blaney because I think he’s really good at the superspeedway races. He’s always, always at the front. He’s very aggressive, knows how to make the right decisions and stuff. He’s been close already.
Burton: That’s a hard, hard race to win. I think Ryan Blaney will probably get one soon.
Keselowski: Shoot, the last three years, I’ve been in the top-3 in the last few laps and gotten wrecked or something’s happened. Just gotta keep [getting into position] and eventually it’ll happen.
3. Which driver has the best social media personality?
Suárez: Oh my god, you want to have the same answer for every question?
Blaney: [Kevin] Harvick’s been cracking me up here the last couple months, which has been fun to watch. He’ll get all sassy with everybody, and I get a good chuckle out of that. He and Hamlin have a really funny Twitter. I love waking up and seeing [Harvick] go on rants the next morning. I love reading all through it.
Cody please take the time to read all of my tweets before typing. Thank you…. https://t.co/uT8hGM4D1G
Chastain: Not Ross Chastain. Pretty much anybody but [me]. I honestly don’t even have a good working knowledge of what people are posting.
Logano: Can I pick myself? I pick myself because I like cars.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfaMwfjpZ0y/
Wallace: Depends on what you’re going for. First ones that come to mind are Denny, Kyle [Busch], myself.
Byron: I don’t think any of us are that great at it, I’ll be honest. Bubba comes to mind. He’s probably the most comfortable with social media, I would say, so his personality comes across. I would look at it as who’s the most authentic? Whose personality is really showing? And I think he’s the most authentic on there, speaks his mind.
Larson: Probably Denny [Hamlin]. Over the last probably three or four or five years, he’s really stepped up, it seems, his social media stuff, and he’s pretty funny on there. He does do, I would say, a lot of it himself, but I know his social media guy, and he’s pretty witty with all that too.
Cindric: I don’t really like Twitter. I use it, but I don’t like it. I like Instagram a lot better. But I don’t know.
Burton: I don’t follow them all. So I don’t know. I would say my dad, Jeff Burton. He’s killing his Instagram game recently. For an old guy, he’s doing pretty good.
4. Which driver has the best sense of humor?
(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Truex: I got nothing.
Bowman: Definitely me. Dry as the desert.
Blaney: Bubba [Wallace] and Chase [Elliott]. I think you get different personalities out of people away from their job. It’s kind of hard to judge somebody from how they act at the race track or something because a lot of times, you’re you’re dead-set focused on the task at hand, and it’s hard to kind of really let loose or joke around too much. Everyone’s personality is very different away from the race track.
Wallace: Myself.
Chastain: Ryan Blaney. It’s dry, but I think I understand it though. Most people probably don’t.
Keselowski: Blaney. He’s just a fun guy to be around, and he’s chill.
Elliott: Skip.
Logano: This used to be the Clint Bowyer answer back in the day. Can I pick myself again? I can’t keep picking myself [laughs].
Cindric: Kevin Harvick has a pretty dry sense of humor, which I always enjoy. Sometimes it’s at the expense of something or someone else, but it’s Kevin Harvick.
Byron: Kyle Busch kind of has a pretty funny sense of humor. Like, when I drove for for [Kyle Busch Motorsports], I always thought he was kind of funny. He’s pretty brash, but it’s kind of funny sometimes because he’s so unfiltered.
Suárez: Probably Noah Gragson.
Burton: Todd Gilliland is the guy that probably makes me laugh the most in the garage. He’s a rookie, so I hang out with him quite a bit. And yeah, he’s funny as heck, that’s for sure.
Larson: The first name that came to my mind was Corey LaJoie. He’s really funny and quick.
5. Which driver is most likely to drop an f-bomb in a live TV interview?
(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Logano: Typically, I’d say Kyle Busch, but he seems like he’s cleaned it up a little lately. Kevin [Harvick] is not likely anymore either. Those are two likely candidates back in the day. Bubba [Wallace] maybe?
Suárez: Probably me! I did that a few times after I won.
Cindric: Kyle Busch.
Keselowski: Yeah, probably Kyle Busch.
Chastain: Darrell Wallace.
Elliott: [Kevin] Harvick.
Byron: Oh, for sure [Kyle Busch]. I think that’s already happened. He’s for sure halfway there, if not already there.
Burton: Kyle Busch, I’d say it’s a good guess.
Truex: Kyle Busch.
Larson: Probably Noah Gragson.
Wallace: Noah Gragson.
Bowman: Noah Gragson.
Blaney: Man, I think any of us are capable of it. It’s just a matter of how upset you are. But I feel like that’s a big one to drop. I could see dropping a number of other cuss words, so you really have to mean it to drop that one. I could see Kyle Busch dropping one, but he hasn’t yet, I don’t believe, in his whole career, so maybe he won’t.
6. Which driver has had the most surprising season?
(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Truex: I would say Ross Chastain because they just consistently perform well, and they’re still a fairly new team.
Keselowski: Ross Chastain. He’s still in the final four, and I guess I probably didn’t see that coming.
Blaney: Chastain’s had a really good first year at Trackhouse. Not surprising, he’s doing well, but I think he’s, you know, run better than people have thought in his first year over there. Another one who I’m surprised hasn’t run better or won like they’re used to doing is [Martin] Truex.
Cindric: Daniel Suárez. He’s been in the sport for a while and, quite honestly, in very capable cars. And whether he’s grown or he’s in a great situation or he wasn’t in good situations before, I feel like it’s kind of his third attempt at being in a top team, and he’s done very well with it.
Wallace: Probably Briscoe. Obviously got that win at Phoenix [in the spring], and the Stewart-Haas [Racing] cars haven’t been that great all year. But the last 10 races, he’s gotten hot at the right time.
Byron: Definitely Ross Chastain. I assumed he would be a playoff contender, for sure, based on how he ran the 42. But I felt like it would just be a steady progression from last year and the 42 car. Those guys, as soon as the season started, have been contenders and been difficult and hard to beat basically a lot of tracks.
Suárez: My team as a whole — not just myself but my teammate as well. Trackhouse as a whole, more [successful] than most people expected. We are having some good success and that has been very, very good.
Bowman: Ross Chastain. I just didn’t see that much success coming this year. They’ve been really strong, and I know Ross is really good. I just didn’t expect them to do what they’ve done.
Logano: This whole year’s been a surprise. Kurt Busch is one who comes to my mind, not for good reasons. Obviously, the win early in the year was great, but his whole year is just a surprise probably to all of us.
Burton: Chase Briscoe is having a really good year. Not that it’s surprising, I guess, because he’s won a lot of races in Xfinity, but he’s done a really good job from last year to this year, making it as far as he has in the playoffs and getting good finishes when he hasn’t run well. I feel like there are days where he’ll run towards the back and then find a way to finish up front, which is really hard to do in this series.
Larson: Surprisingly good — great! — Ross Chastain. I knew he was going to be good. I wasn’t surprised to see them strong early in the year, but I thought that that team might tail off as the season got on. But they haven’t. Surprisingly not good — not that he hasn’t been great because he’s been in contention a lot — but Martin Truex. I’m just surprised that they haven’t won.
Chastain: Ross Chastain. I’ve never won races. I’d only finished in the top-5 three times in my career before this year, and now we’ve done it [15] times. Brand-new team, new ownership and two drivers that had never competed at the front consistently, and we’ve done that this year. I’m a [watermelon] farmer, so it’s surprising that I can drive a race car.
7. You’re leading the race and there are two laps left; which driver would you want behind you?
(Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Blaney: None of them. I don’t think you want any of them within a car length or two of you.
Logano: All of them.
Elliott: No one. I hope they’re far enough away or nobody’s close to you.
Wallace: I’ll go with Blaney.
Bowman: I don’t care.
Truex: Probably Kyle Busch, just because I know he’d race with respect. We have a good relationship, and we always race well together. Very, very hard racing, but clean and fair.
Byron: A teammate would be better than than others probably. So I’d say maybe Chase [Elliott] or Alex [Bowman] or Kyle [Larson]. Any of those three would be a good one to have.
Larson: I guess it depends on the race track, but I don’t I don’t really care. I guess any of them.
Suárez: For a comfortable situation, I’d say my teammate, Ross [Chastain].
Keselowski: Probably Chris Buescher. He’s a good teammate.
Burton: Another rookie, probably Todd Gilliland or Austin Cindric, I’d say, because I feel like we’re all in the same boat. So we’ll be in good shape there.
Chastain: Line ’em up however they want, doesn’t matter.
8. You’re leading the race and there are two laps left; which driver do you absolutely not want behind you?
(John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)
Logano: I really don’t care. You’ve got to beat them all, so it doesn’t matter. Whoever, I don’t think it makes a difference, honestly. Everybody’s gonna be willing to do something to win a race, and what they’re willing to do is sometimes pretty fluid. I think you treat them all the same because you just don’t know.
Suárez: A driver that is in a must-win situation, that has a lot of pressure. Any of the drivers that are in the playoffs that are below the cutline, those guys, they have to do whatever they have to do. If I was in their position, I would do the same thing. Those guys, it’s not good to have them behind me because they will have to do dumb moves to do whatever they have to do to get the job done.
Keselowski: Probably Chase Briscoe. the last few times he’s been running second with like two or three laps to go, he’s wrecked the leader — in case you were wondering the rationale.
Byron: Man, I don’t want any of them behind me. But I don’t think really any of them intimidate me, per se. I think some are more strategic than others. It just depends on the situation. I can’t pick one there.
Blaney: It doesn’t really matter. To me, you kind of understand and you race around guys enough to where you know who will be more aggressive than others. But this year, everyone’s been really aggressive, so you never know.
Burton: I think I don’t want Ross Chastain behind me because I feel like he’s gonna probably put me in a spot where I’m gonna either have to crash us both, or crash him to try and win. So it’s gonna be crazy at the end if he’s right behind you.
Larson: Seems like Ross Chastain — and I’m not saying this on the on the part that he would crash you for the win — I just feel like he’s really good right now, and he’s really fast. He understands traffic really well. I feel like he does the best job of passing.
Cindric: Ross Chastain. Probably a popular answer.
Chastain: I don’t discriminate. Pick anybody you want, put them right behind me. That’s fine by me.
9. Which driver is most likely to believe in wild conspiracy theories?
(Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Blaney: Oh, gosh, Chase [Elliott]. This was when we were living in the same apartment complex together in North Carolina years ago, like 2015. He’d go down rabbit holes of conspiracy theories all the time. And I’d be over at his apartment sitting there, and he’d just go into a deep dive. I don’t know if he’s still that way or not. But back in 2015, ’16, Chase was a big conspiracy theorist on the aliens, government schemes, all this kind of stuff. And I wasn’t really interested in them. But yeah, he was pretty big into it a handful of years ago.
Wallace: Brad Keselowski.
Logano: Brad [Keselowski] will read the conspiracy theories, for sure, and get fairly deep into stuff before he realizes what the heck’s going on.
Byron: Oh man, I’d say Brad Keselowski. He comes across that way on social media, I think. He definitely reads into things for sure. So I would say him. I’ve seen him do some things with his methods, [like] when he goes out to qualify, he’ll do something different than everybody else.
Bowman: Brad Keselowski.
Keselowski: Me. I’m assuming everybody else has answered me.
Larson: Kyle Busch, for sure. Kyle or Kurt — either of the Buschs.
Burton: I don’t really know why, but the first guy that came to my mind is Denny Hamlin.
Elliott: Tyler Reddick. He just strikes me as a conspiracy theorist maybe, I don’t know.
Cindric: Oh, Michael McDowell. I’ve got a hunch, I’ll leave it at that.
Chastain: Michael McDowell. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. I know him well, and so I can say this: He doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being a little different, little out there in some ways. I love him. I love everything about him and what he stands for and being his friend. But you give him a few crumbs of maybe truth, and he’s gonna run with it.
10. Which driver is having the largest impact on the sport this season?
(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Logano: Kurt Busch. Kurt, right now, has a very loud voice, and he has more time than anybody to focus on the health of our sport and health of our drivers and health and the safety of our cars. And he has taken the ball and run with it. And we all should be appreciative for what Kurt’s been doing for us lately. Kurt takes the cake by a mile.
Truex: Kevin Harvick has had a big impact, especially in talks with NASCAR about the Next Gen car and just bringing things out in the open. And I feel like things are starting to get changed and looked at a lot harder because of him being outspoken.
Completely unacceptable that those in charge have let things get to this point. I remember it like it was yesterday @dennyhamlin in the presentation of the new car to the drivers pleading that the car was to stiff. Data didn’t agree. TIME TO LISTEN TO THE DRIVERS CRASHING THEM! https://t.co/Q9urnlbaWa
Cindric: I’d say it’s a toss up between Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin. I wouldn’t say it’s positive or negative, just impact on the larger scale. They’ve been very outspoken about the car and the series and some things are productive. Some things probably aren’t aimed at being productive. So, from that standpoint, they’ve definitely been been the leaders in that category.
Keselowski: Probably either Kevin Harvick or Denny Hamlin because they’re so outspoken across the board.
Larson: Probably if I had to pick one over everybody, Harvick just on the safety side. Him and Denny together, them two. They’re moving the needle.
(Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Wallace: Ross Chastain. He’s obviously made a lot of headlines this year for the way he races, and obviously, Martinsville was no shortage of that.
Blaney: Honestly, I think like last two years, we’ve seen Bubba [Wallace] have a huge impact on the sport, reaching new audiences, and that’s grown the sport tremendously. I think he’s had a great influence on it. He’s grown different fan bases and grown the sport in a good way. So he’s had a massive impact on it, and I think it’s really cool what he’s done.
Chastain: I’ll say Darrell [Wallace]. He won a race. The following he has and the reach that he has, [it’s] far beyond what I have, in good and bad. What he does travels farther, and what he says carries a heavier weight than something I say. So I think in his winning moments and his not great moments, his car makes it to front pages and headlines farther than mine. He has this opportunity to carry the sport through his career and through his accomplishments on track that I hope to get to. He’s got the potential to just really elevate this sport. I’m glad to be his friend and a competitor. I want to beat him, right? But yeah, I think he’s got the most potential.
Suárez: Honestly, I will say myself because of the win that we had in Sonoma and everything that came with that. I felt like we gained a lot of traction with the Hispanic community, and that was great and I feel like that was amazing, not just for myself but for the entire sport and the history of the sport. So I think that that was pretty remarkable, and it just happened that I was driving.
Byron: I’d say Denny Hamlin because of just the 23XI being a new team and the national presence that the Jordan brand has and stuff like that. So I would say they’ve had the biggest impact on on the way the seasons gone with how vocal they are.
Blaney: Hard to argue against Ross [Chastain] after [Martinsville].
Burton: I’d say probably Kevin Harvick. Actually, I take that back — I’d say Kurt Busch is. Even though he was out for the year, he has been a really good advocate for the drivers and comes to meetings with NASCAR and the drivers and is really involved still. So a guy like that who kind of has just recently announced his retirement, I think he’s been really influencing the sport a lot. So either those two guys have been really influential though.
Chase Elliott: Ross Chastain has certainly been a storyline a lot throughout the year, both good and bad. But he’s been talked about quite a bit, so seems like a pretty good story between him and and Trackhouse and the things they’ve had going on.
