Kurt Busch, NASCAR’s 2004 Cup Series champion, thought he was on his way to the playoffs before this year’s Pocono race. Then the driver of 23XI Racing’s No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD had a big crash in qualifying for the Pocono race and, even with his physical conditioning, the concussion and resulting brain injury suffered in that accident has kept him out of the race car and will keep him from this year’s championship playoffs, the team announced.
Busch hasn’t been in a race car since that crash and it’s unknown when or whether he’ll return in 2022. In deference to its driver’s health, 23XI Racing has announced that Busch will miss the start of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and the team will withdraw its medical waiver, requested for Busch to remain eligible for the playoffs.
While their driver earned a spot in the playoffs with his dominant win at Kansas Speedway in May, marking Busch’s ninth consecutive year with a win, his place in the playoffs was secured for the 10th straight season. This accident and the car’s withdrawal from the medical waiver, means that Busch will no longer be eligible for the Driver’s Championship. The No. 45 team, however, continues to compete for the Owner’s Championship with substitute driver Ty Gibbs.
“Kurt has elevated our entire organization this year,” noted Steve Lauletta, 23XI team president. “Although Kurt will not be competing for a championship this season, he will continue to play a vital role in the organization as he works with our competition group to keep improving and strengthening the team.”
Gibbs has been the substitute driver for Busch since the July 23rd accident and will be driving the No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota Camry TRD this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, where the regular season for NASCAR’s Cup Series draws to a close.
“As much as I wanted and hoped to be able to get back in the Now 45 car to make a playoff run with our team, it’s still not the right time for me,” Busch admitted. “In addition to not being cleared to return to racing, I know that I am not ready to be back in the car.
“I respect the sport of NASCAR, my fellow drivers and the fans too much to take up a playoff spot if I know I can’t compete for a championship this season. The decision was not an easy one, but I know it is the right thing to do,” Busch continued. “I will continue to take time to heal and strengthen as I prepare to be back in the car, and will do I can to help 23XI continue the success we have had this season.”
Some Cup Series drivers have expressed to NASCAR their qualms about heavy hits with the new Next Gen car that was introduced at the start of the 2022 campaign. NASCAR spent a good deal of time developing the Next Gen cars with inherent safety being an important aspect. While drivers have stated the car hits harder in wall and car-to-car impacts, the series has stated, “We’re going to make a safe car. We’re going to make a car that puts on a good race. We’ve had some accidents; we’ve done a lot of testing. We’re not going to have an unsafe car on the race track,” Mike Helton, NASCAR vice chairman said.
It’s not yet known whether Kurt Busch will be able to race any of the upcoming contests following this weekend’s Saturday night regular season finale. Toyota’s priority for Busch, “Has been his health and recovery,” according to David Wilson, president of TRD U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development). “Not his recovery to get back in a race car but his recovery overall. TRD has been working directly with Kurt to support him, but ultimately this decision was Kurt’s. We support him completely.”
NASCAR’s COT is a POS!!!