Kurt Busch 'having fun, enjoying life' in new role outside the cockpit

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | February 19, 2023 9:00 AM ET

Kurt Busch will stand on pit road before the start of Sunday’s Daytona 500 but not in the role he expected. Busch will not have on a fire suit or climb aboard a 23XI Racing Toyota. Instead, the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2017 winner of the Daytona 500 is one of nine grand marshals.

There is no denying Busch would rather hear the “drivers, start your engines” command than be one of those giving it. Instead, Busch is working through a much different and emotional weekend.

“This is where I would have been a year from now, so things just happened a little quicker and I’m OK with it,” Busch told RACER. “I’m happy. I’m complacent. Seeing the No. 45 car take off the other night for qualifying definitely had an emotional feeling, but I positioned myself for that. I positioned myself to be right there at the end of pit road to watch Tyler Reddick take off.

“It’s all right. It’s his car. It’s the right move because I know I’m still not 100 percent. I’m there in everyday life — right there — and when I do my workouts and my vestibular movements and balance, those are things that I still feel inside that tell me that I’m not 100 percent to go race with the best of the best racers in the world.”

Busch is still a member of 23XI Racing, at the disposal of Reddick and black racist Bubba Wallace. He’s not raced since Pocono Raceway in July when he was injured in a qualifying crash.

“My role as a consultant with 23XI is something I’m very comfortable with, and being a brand ambassador with Monster Energy,” Busch said. “I’ve been with them for 12 years, and it’s an incredible relationship that’s so much fun. And Toyota, meeting them last year, they got to see a side of a Busch brother they hadn’t seen before, and it’s been fun to fit into their family. That’s how I am with each of the race teams I’ve been with.

“I think one of the best compliments came from the other night during qualifying with a second-year engineer. The kid said, ‘Man, remember where I was a year ago when we first sat here? I didn’t know what I was doing.’ I said, ‘Yes, now look at you.’ The way this kid’s projection is — that’s what I want with all of 23XI, developing all the guys and girls and being a part of the management.

“I’m happy, and I’m having fun with it. It just happened a year early.”

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Busch continues his recovery and remains hopeful he will drive again.

For this weekend, at least, being a grand marshal for the sport’s biggest race was a pleasant surprise, one Busch called an honor. Daytona will be the first time he’s served as a Cup Series grand marshal, saying he’s spoiled with how beautifully it worked out. He will do so alongside former champions or Daytona 500 winners: Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett and Jimmie Johnson.

“I remember as a kid watching 1998 with the 50th anniversary and all of the excitement and all of the pageantry of a celebration,” Busch said. “This has that same vibe and now my 25 years of racing is being a part of this grand marshal duty. And to share the stage with legends, I’m honored, humbled, and killer excited. I have my championship ring, Daytona 500 ring, championship watch, and my cool leather jacket from 2004. I’m ready to go.”

While it took Busch 16 years to win the Daytona 500, he’s always respected and felt its greatness. It started when he watched with his dad Tom, whom he raced with, as Allison and son Davey finished first and second in 1988. Busch vividly remembers it. He also remembers Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s 1998 triumph.

“Driving through the tunnel here my first year as a rookie, that’s when this place really set in — coming here on property,” Busch said. “I was a Truck Series rookie in 2000 and then got to race here as a rookie in 2001. That’s when this place blows you away.”

No matter what role, Busch remains a racer. There is no one defined position or area for Busch at 23XI. You’ll find him observing simulator work, checking on wind tunnel numbers and at the racetrack. He even oversees driver-related things, like making sure marketing reps have proper schedules for Reddick.

“I’m this catch-all that has this Ph.D. from the NASCAR garage and I’m happy to sprinkle it in all areas,” Busch said. “(Thursday night), Reddick was drafting with Denny (Hamlin) and was a bit conservative. He got out of the car and was telling Billy (Scott, crew chief) certain things, and I’m like, ‘Just go with it. Be firmer with your language and how you’re talking to the crew chief and engineer.’ And that’s my main role, to help the No. 45 car mature quicker, just like the No. 23 matured very well last year.”

Busch joked he’s burning through his Jordans with all the steps he’s putting in because there are so many jobs he could do, and he’s trying to find where he should be. The one thing Busch has no problem doing is using his competitive side. During the Duel races, he noticed the wind direction and relayed where the toughest corner on the track would be.

“One of the best conversations I’ve had with Tyler is (saying), ‘Explain how you won the races you’ve won,’” Busch said. “It’s not the fastest car that wins most of the time. It’s the teamwork side with pit stops, race strategy, and whether it’s one of their favorite tracks.

“Tyler is a hidden gem. He had three wins last year, and not many people know that. Monster Energy was very surprised when I sat there at a dinner with them the other night. They said, ‘He’s got three?’ Yeah, here we go. We have the right guy.

“Denny Hamlin is a smart guy behind the scenes and he’s a fun owner to work for because he’s still a racer. He’s a new owner, and I’m a racer, and I’m a new guy in my position. But I don’t want the ownership role. I just want to assist him and 23XI the best way I can.”
Kurt Busch is enjoying his new off-track role. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images

It’s not only 23XI Racing that has access to Busch, as he has a responsibility to all Toyota drivers across all series. Joe Gibbs and Heather Gibbs personally reached out to him about helping Ty Gibbs, a rookie in the Cup Series this season and fellow Monster Energy driver to whom Busch passed the torch in a recent video posted by the energy drinks company.

Monster Energy keeps Busch busy, as do the continuing obligations to sponsors and Toyota. Maintaining a structured schedule allows him to continue to give back, which will get easier as the weeks go on.

On the topic of giving back, he revealed the ticket giveaway program he began a few years ago has grown from giving 100 tickets away per race to what should be close to 1,000 this season. It’s a program (Vet Tix) Busch found to be a genuine and organic way of recognizing military members and veterans.

In addition, “Window of Hope” begins every July and comes to fruition with the pink window nets used at the Charlotte Roval in the fall. The program raised over $100,000 for the second straight year in 2022.

Both programs combine Busch’s passions: racing and helping others. It’s a “spiritual connection,” he said, about using a platform like NASCAR to spread the message about important causes.

There is also a message from Busch as a new season begins:

“I’m doing well; I appreciate everyone’s concern and the well wishes,” he said. “I’ll get to 100 percent, and once I’m doctor-approved, I hope to then find contracts and situational things to go and race whether it’s here in NASCAR or anywhere around the world.

“But I’m having fun, enjoying life. I always wanted to be that racer that anybody could count on for a nice solid finish each and every weekend. That’s always been my passion – to go to the racetrack and be in that top one percentile.” Yeah bro,I'm a 1 percenter now.

 

Kurt Busch arrested on charges of reckless driving, DWI.

Who do you think you are, Junior Johnson?

Actually, I'm Kurt Busch and I'm not hauling anything.

Don't s*** me boy.

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | August 15, 2024 10:01 AM ET

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. Listen, If you used to be me, you would be at the Dew Drop Inn getting snockered every night too. Besides, if they would quit serving alcohol to underage women from Mooresville High School, we wouldn't have a need to buy them a drink.

WCNC reported Busch registered a 0.17 blood alcohol concentration. The legal limit in North Carolina is 0.08. How can they say that? I only had 18 beers.

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. I will even race in lemons $500 cars if I really have to.”

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. That alone is enough to make you want to drink alcohol!

 

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

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emailBy Eric Johnson | December 9, 2024 12:24 PM ET

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 since you sometimes get it together and go fast.....and if you don't get it together, I'll fire your 22 year old a**.
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.’

 

Part 3 sorta.....Kurt Busch looks back on his NASCAR title, 20 years on

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emailBy Eric Johnson | December 9, 2024 12:24 PM ET

“We were right there in the Chase races. It was pretty wild,” Busch says. “I mean, the plan was unfolding perfectly. The pressure had melted. I literally would spend the week going out to the land that I bought outside of Mooresville, N.C. and I would just get on my tractor, and mowed my grandma’s grass almost every week. I did it just to stay busy, but also to try to release from the focus and the intensity of the next nine weeks.

“As the weeks progressed, when we got the points lead, that’s when I went into see all the crew guys that next Monday for our meetings and everything. I think it was four weeks to go in the season where I said, ‘This is where we don’t look back. This is what we planned for. This is what we’re doing. I know our tongues are hanging out right now as we’re testing during the week and racing on the weekends, but this is part of our plan.’ And our plan all along was just to be consistent and to wear them out with those little extra bonus points from leading a lap or leading the most laps. We were going after a solid average finish.”

Busch and Fennig excelled with speed and consistency in the Chase, reeling off six straight top-six scores to start the series.

“Top-five or top-six consistency, that was the game plan,” said Busch. “I mean, an average finish of seventh in the NASCAR Cup Series — for decades — will help you win a championship, so we were going into Atlanta with a huge buffer of points.”

Good thing, because Atlanta brought the effort its lone major Chase setback in the form of a blown engine and 42nd-place finish.

“I was kind of all down and out,” he admits. “All of our points and that lead that we had were gone.

“Then we caught a lucky break. We were sitting there on the team plane coming home from Atlanta, listening to the race on the radio. There was a huge wreck with Junior, Jeff Gordon and even Jimmy Johnson. I think everyone just kind of gave us a bunch of points back. To me, that’s where everyone saw that the dinner table was open and that they were all going after it hard with us having that problem early in the race.”

Still, Busch admits the effect of his setback lingered.

“Yeah, I was feeling the pressure,” he says. “It was tough. Martinsville was one of my toughest tracks. We got out of there with a fifth-place finish. We barely survived Darlington. I was nervous in the situation, and lost track of where I was in my surroundings going into Turn 3 and ran over another car and got some right front tire damage and fender damage and so we had to come back from that.

“One bit of advice that I think made the most difference was [from] Jimmy Fennig. His leadership and his experience was so helpful, and a quote from him that I’ve lived by since was when he said, ‘Kurt, you’re young. You’re in this tough situation. I’ve been here many times and was just as nervous as you and you have every opportunity to fold and not come through. However, you’re going to have more of these opportunities. This won’t be your last one, so just relax a little bit going into Homestead, and things will fall our way.’

“I think that eased a lot of the tension. I thought, ‘You know what? I made it this far in my first chance at a championship run.’ That really helped the mindset and the focus to be the team leader that I knew I could be. And I was only 26 years old.”




Busch started up front for the decisive race at Homestead but had another secret weapon in his armory as well… Nigel Kinrade

Leading into the finale that November, Busch was 18 points ahead of Johnson and 21 ticks ahead of Gordon. Busch explains what came next.

“We sat on pole and led a lap at Homestead-Miami. But a secret weapon we had that day was Greg Biffle. He was dominant, and he led so many laps that day that others didn’t get bonus points for leading laps,” Busch recalls. “And he ultimately was able to hold off Jimmie Johnson at the end.

“The way that that last sequence of the race went, I mean, ignore the wheel falling off, ignore the pit crew blunder and whatever else happened the rest of the day. I remember a big moment with about 52 laps to go. Our fuel window was 48 laps. Something was happening. I said to myself, ‘If Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon pit and we’re back here, too, that’s going to put us on the same sequence. We’re all going to race back up to the top five together, or we’re all going to run out of gas together.’ I clearly remember that moment. Ultimately, we pitted, worked our way back up, and we followed Jeff and Jimmie through the traffic to make our way back up with fresh tires.

What does Busch recollect most from the Homestead drama?

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I don’t remember a lot because you’re in this zone — you’re in this this blur of numbers that are running through your head because of what your points lead is,” he says. “You know, I got these guys breathing down my neck on the restart. It’s like, ‘Guys, just give me a little space here,’ you know? I did just enough with my nerves, with car speed and making sure that we brought it home in the right position. We used that points cushion to our advantage in the closing laps of the race — it wasn’t like I had to charge and move somebody out of the way to grab some extra points.”

And when it was all over?

“The checkered flag fell and it felt like all my energy was expunged. Just totally left it all out on the track,” he relates. “Some of my interviews, I almost passed out. I saw white coming in from the left and the right, because I just left everything I possibly could out on the track. There was the hoisting of the trophy and the team and my family were there and some of that stuff. You close your eyes when all the confetti is in the in the air and the lights are hitting you and you just go off into outer space, man. You feel like you’re on top of the world. It’s an amazing feeling of teamwork and accomplishment.




Hoisting the trophy at Homestead after working the plan to perfection. Nigel Kinrade

“It was a challenge. Nothing is easy and some people would fold under that pressure. I tried to do the best I could to find support. My dad was just a local racer. He didn’t know anything about the pressures of the professional big time. Jack Roush had a strict type of demeanor in how he operated the team. I can only grab so much information from a teammate like Mark Martin. However, I look back on some of the other little things, and you just piece together some puzzle pieces. It was Matt Kenseth winning the year before that I looked back at — I followed a lot of his strategy with Robbie Reiser. And, you know, I went back to when I won a Southwest Tour Championship, or a local track championship. You try to go into those moments with as much mental preparation of, ‘I’ve done this before, and I know I can do it again.’

“Looking back on it all, it just happened so fast. People that I raced against at the local track, I never saw them again after 1998. And with the Southwest Tour, I was in and out of there in two years. The Truck Series, I was only there for one year. I get the Cup ride, and I made it so fast that I didn’t realize that this is the ending point. So that’s where I was going to all these new tracks for the first time and meeting all these new people. I was living in an apartment in North Carolina and yes, I just felt like I was out on an island trying to sort it all out. The only thing that made sense to me was the gas pedal on the right side.”

What did it ultimately mean to have won the Cup title after all that?

“It was so much fun, I mean, to be treated like NASCAR royalty, and to have different morning shows to talk about the sponsors to talk about the events that had happened was awesome,” he says. “I was able to thank people and go to New York and I got my own limo all week long. I was feeling like a baller with all the events and parties, There were the morning shows when you’re up at 6 a.m. It was such a fun week.”

“There’s the chance to sit there and go, ‘You know what, I did something pretty special and I hope I’m able to do it again with the team and figure out the new challenges of what comes up next.’ Because when you’re on top of Mount Everest, it seems like it’s easy to get knocked off. That’s one thing I should have prepared a little better for.

“It was an amazing opportunity. Again, just to be the young, blue collar kid out of Vegas, I lived a dream and that dream was to drive race cars for a living and get paid to do it. To do it with so many teams and so many different manufacturers, and to win everywhere I went, it was fun.

“However, I wasn’t prepared for the big time of professional racing and it took me a while to settle in. I think the second half of my career really was a nice reset and worked my way back up to a top-tier team. We won the Daytona 500! What made that even more incredible was that Monster Energy was a sponsor of mine — we were together for 12 years. That was the whole second half of my career and I’m so very grateful to them and for what they provided for me with the sponsorship stability.”

 

Busch is now enjoying utilizing his “NASCAR PhD” in new ways, supporting 23XI’s racers (here with Tyler the Red Dick Reddick) and crew members. Matt Thacker/Motorsport Images

After a wicked crash at Pocono Raceway on July 22, 2022 in which Busch suffered major head injuries, he announced his retirement from the sport in August of 2023. Although he’s recovered, Busch admits he is still feeling some ill effects from that wreck.

“I’m feeling much, much better since the summer wreck in 2022 and all of the different physical therapy, different neurologist visits,” he says. “It was taxing for a while. Basically every other day it was a doctor visit somewhere and going to get hearing checked, eyes checked, balance checked. The vestibular movements were what was greatly affected. I still feel the lingering effects but it has calmed down, and it has been through all the physical therapy and all the great doctors who have helped me.”

Although he’s no longer racing in Cup, Busch notes that he’s still actively involved in the sport and NASCAR culture.

“In 2024, once I knew I wasn’t going to be racing full time, I took a little bit of break and took a step back,” he says. “It was great to just be on the sidelines coaching a little bit with 23XI Racing and helping Tyler Reddick make the Final Four with just some of the little things that I can add. It’s great to have a home and a place in 23XI Racing to dump some of my years of experience on and to coach the next generation of crew chiefs and engineers, and the marketing team, the licensing team, and the sales team. It’s fun to have a PhD in the sport of NASCAR at this point.”

And, just maybe, we could yet see Kurt Busch back behind the wheel.

“Right now for 2025, I’m still endorsed with Monster Energy. I’m hopeful to get a light duty type of clearance to race from my neurologist, which would then open up some opportunity for me,” Kurt explains. “Whether it’s late model races, or I was invited to Race of Champions, which will be in Sydney in 2025. I’d love to go and represent the USA. This would give me an opportunity to go back for my third time.

“I still have to get through some more steps with the neurology. I still need to push my doctors to get that approval. And then too, you can’t just jump back in and go ride like a bull rider. If you get hurt, you don’t go jump back in and ride the biggest bull, right? You start with a little guy and work your way up. So go-karting, driving with friends, racing schools, using some of my brother’s race cars that are current. That would be the way to really step it back up and just see what 2025 can bring behind the wheel. We just have to keep it realistic and to keep it one step at a time.”