CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kurt Busch won’t race full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023.
The 44-year-old Cup driver, in an emotional address at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, told reporters that his doctors have concluded that it is best for him to “shut it down” for the remainder of the 2022 season — and that even though he’s made strides in his recovery efforts from a brain injury he sustained in July, stepping away from full-time racing next season is what’s best for himself and his team.
“My long-term health is priority No. 1,” Busch said. The 23XI Racing driver added: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed 23XI, this team of wonderful professionals. I appreciate their support that they’ve showed me over the last few months. I will continue to work with this group.”
Immediately following Busch’s news conference, 23XI Racing announced that Tyler Reddick will drive in the No. 45 Toyota Camry in Busch’s stead next season. Reddick was set to finish out his contract at Richard Childress Racing in 2023 and then join 23XI Racing in 2024 — but that has since changed.
“With Kurt choosing to not race full-time next year, 23XI Racing announced today that upon reaching an agreement with Richard Childress Racing, Tyler Reddick will join 23XI in 2023 to drive the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD,” the team announced in a statement. “We look forward to competing against Tyler over the remaining four weeks of the season and look forward to having him join our team thereafter.”
RCR in a statement said that the team agreed to release Reddick from his contract because “it is in our mutual best interest to focus on building successful programs for the future.”
Busch, 44, was diagnosed with a brain injury after his car hit the wall during qualifying at Pocono in July and hasn’t returned to racing since. The veteran driver had to withdraw his medical waiver request and vacate his Cup Series playoff spot in late August because of the injury.
Last month, Busch told reporters he remained “hopeful” he could return to racing. He also had the backing of Denny Hamlin, part-owner of 23XI Racing, who has repeated over the past few months that he wasn’t rushing Busch’s recovery.
Busch delivered the news in his hometown of Las Vegas, the site of Sunday’s Cup Series playoff race.
“I’m still competitive, passionate, and I want to continue to perform at my core values, and to give back to a community that has been my life since I’ve left Las Vegas to pursue a professional racing career over 22 years ago,” Busch said. “Next year, my contributions to racing might look a little different, but I’ll continue to give my best to this sport. And if I’m cleared, maybe you’ll see me at a few select races.”
Busch indicated on Saturday that Reddick’s impending arrival at 23XI Racing influenced his decision. For a few weeks, it looked as if Reddick would be the third Cup car competing for Richard Childress Racing — alongside Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch, who signed to RCR in September.
But Kurt Busch said it was important to make this decision now to set off a line of dominoes that will ultimately benefit his racing team.
“This is more of being unselfish and respecting what has to happen in this industry, and that’s to know how to make a team move forward,” Busch said. “And I believe in 23XI and everyone here. And for me, I will get back to 100 percent, I promise. I have a great team of specialists. ... I will keep pushing myself and my health to get back. That’s the priority first. And then we can decide about racing afterward.”
Busch’s concussion has been a flashpoint in one of the biggest storylines of 2022: the safety of the Next Gen car. Since Busch’s injury, and after another brain injury suffered by Alex Bowman, Cup drivers have spoken out about the Next Gen car’s safety shortcomings in unprecedented volume and vitriol — some, like Hamlin, going as far to say earlier this month that the car needed to be completely redesigned.
NASCAR has since made some of its efforts to rectify the issues: Drivers met with NASCAR officials for a “tense” and “candid” conversation last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and NASCAR president Steve Phelps assured them that changes to the car will be implemented for next year. Among those changes include adjustments to the rear bumper structure, as well as adjustments to the car’s rear clip center section. (After the meeting, Phelps went on NBC and admitted that NASCAR and the Cup drivers should’ve had a meeting “months ago” to deal with what drivers were feeling in the race car.)
On Saturday, though, Busch didn’t attribute his health status to that one hit in Pocono, nor did he say he was bitter about how his career has changed since sustaining his concussion.
“There’s not one moment, or one circumstance, that has led to this decision,” Busch said. “It’s a layer of things. And to be frank, to smile a little bit, I’ve wrecked a lot of s--- in my life. Old cars, new cars. And so over the years, things add up. And different wrecks this year have made it tough in the grind each week to get back to 100 percent. That was starting to get tough this summer. And then with the accident at Pocono, again, part of that has added up — it’s not one circumstance over the other.”
He added: “This Next Gen car, we have to continue to make it safer. We have to learn from each of the circumstances. Whether it’s mine, whether it’s (Ross) Chastain’s, whether it’s Bowman’s, whether it’s Cody Ware. There have been a ton of hits that we’re all learning from, and finding the areas that we need to improve (is critical).”
In a statement, Phelps said that it has been a “privilege” to watch Busch compete for more than two decades.
“He has proven himself a champion on the racetrack, but perhaps just as importantly, he has grown to become a true ambassador for the sport,” the NASCAR president wrote. “Kurt’s drive to improve the future of motorsports has set him apart. We are thrilled that he’ll remain in our sport as a leader and trusted resource. Kurt’s unparalleled passion for racing gives us hope that we will see him in a race car again.”
