Kurt Busch joining Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin at 23XI Racing
By Bob Pockrass
FOX Sports NASCAR Writer
Before the season started, Kurt Busch teased that this might be his last season by releasing a slickly produced video in which he talked about his career in the past tense — while leaving the door open.
"Am I ready to retire?" he said in the video. "I’ve won it all. I’ve done it all. I’m so very satisfied. And it’s been a great ride. ... It’s all said and done. Put a stamp on it. I’m out.
"What’s next for me? A checkered flag. I’m just a racer."
Well, he will continue to race for more checkered flags full-time next season.
Busch will drive a Cup car for 23XI Racing, which will expand to two teams, the organization announced Friday. He will drive the No. 45, a number that has history with co-owner Michael Jordan.
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The news wasn’t a surprise. Busch and team co-owner Denny Hamlin have danced around questions since reports of this potential deal started in late May. Monster Energy will be one of Busch's primary sponsors, as it will move with him from Chip Ganassi Racing (which is being bought by Trackhouse Racing after this season) to 23XI.
Why not retire? First, as Busch said, he’s a racer. He loves to race. He won at Atlanta last month to make the playoffs for the ninth consecutive year. The 2004 Cup champion has 33 career wins in 745 starts.
Busch doesn’t need to pad those stats, but he loves a racing challenge, and 2022 will produce a big challenge for drivers, as NASCAR will introduce a totally new car. Most of the parts and pieces will come solely from approved vendors, meaning the teams will create fewer parts and not build their own chassis.
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The result: It will be up to a driver to figure out how to race the Next Gen car and give detailed feedback for the limited adjustments teams can make to the cars on a race weekend.
One of Busch’s greatest strengths is his knowledge of the car and his suggestions to the crew chief.
When he won last month at Atlanta, he teased the crowd that he wasn’t done.
"I just love racing cars, and I want to race that Next Gen car," Busch said. "That's why I'm trying to stick around. Will you guys have me next year if I stick around?"
The fans cheered. They like it when the hard-nosed, old-school racers refuse to leave, especially when they obviously can still get the job done.
The 43-year-old Busch has driven for several organizations in his career: Roush Fenway Racing, Team Penske, Phoenix Racing, Furniture Row Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing and soon 23XI Racing.
"I cannot begin to express my gratitude for this opportunity," Busch said in a statement. "Racing to win is what I live for. Helping to continue developing a new team, alongside Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, and Toyota is exactly what I want to be part of.
"Winning is important to 23XI, it’s important to Monster Energy, and it’s important to me. That is our goal."
Busch and 23XI Racing did not announce whether the team has obtained a second charter, but the organization has had discussions with Front Row Motorsports about a possible deal, either buying one charter or a partnership that will include both charters.
23XI Racing already has a charter (used by Bubba Wallace) and would want a charter for Busch. The third charter, if the Front Row deal goes through for both, could be leased.
Front Row still competes in the trucks through a partnership with David Gilliland Racing and likely would continue competing in NASCAR in some fashion.
23XI Racing wouldn’t work so hard on a deal to get a charter for just anyone. But it's worth it for Busch, a driver they hope will help teammate Bubba Wallace, still relatively young at 27, learn while giving the organization feedback from a veteran.
Busch has filled a similar role the past three years at Chip Ganassi Racing, and it shows in his enthusiasm at the track how much he likes being considered the driver everyone looks to for definitive analysis of the team cars and where they need to work to make the cars better.
"Kurt brings a wealth of knowledge and a championship mindset to our team and will be able to help us grow stronger and more competitive each and every week," Hamlin said.
Busch certainly will do that. That’s why he ultimately decided that though he made a cool video that was released at the start of the year, he’s not out.
He’ll put his stamp on one more organization and race for more checkered flags.
Bob Pockrass has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s. He joined FOX Sports in 2019 following stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @bobpockrass. Looking for more NASCAR content? Sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass!
