Why NASCAR's most resilient driver has landed on his feet at 23XI

When most drivers his age are contemplating retirement – or have been forced out already – Kurt Busch is set to start over in 2022, something with which he is very familiar.

The decision by 23XI Racing to add the 43-year-old to its organisation as it expands next season is a testament to the 2004 champion's resilience when even getting a first opportunity in the premier Cup series can be extremely difficult.

Instead, Busch will take the helm of the #45 Toyota next year as a team-mate to 27-year-old Bubba Wallace for an outfit only in its second year and yet to move into its permanent home in Huntersville, North Carolina.

23XI (pronounced ‘23-11 Racing’) is co-owned by current Joe Gibbs Racing Cup series driver Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan, who also owns the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. The start-up team, which has fielded the #23 Toyota for Wallace this season, is fresh off its best Cup finish of second in Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway.

Hamlin and Jordan have put together an organisation with some of the top talent in the NASCAR garages. But with Wallace only in his fourth full-time season, it lacks experience in the cockpit, especially as the Cup series moves to the Next-Gen car next season.

Despite his track record as a winner of 33 races across 746 Cup Series starts, Busch may not have been the first candidate to come to mind as 23XI Racing expanded, especially as the Las Vegas native has talked of his interest in other forms of motorsports including sportscars (he was third in the 2008 Daytona 24 Hours) and the IndyCar Series (he finished sixth in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 in his lone series start).

Busch chases after Wallace at Martinsville. The pair will be team-mates at 23XI next year

Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

Explaining his signing, Hamlin said: “It was a great opportunity for us at 23XI to get someone with championship pedigree or winning pedigree coming in and help us build this programme to where we want it to be.

“When I say build it, that doesn’t mean that we don’t expect to go out there and win.

“My vision and the vision of all of our partners are very, very aligned and I can’t wait to get to work on this. This takes us to the next level and I believe that Kurt and his experiences will raise the elevation of our team beyond what anyone else could.”

"They liked how he got involved with the cars, they liked his input, they liked what he did as a builder of the team, and as a team-mate" Chip Ganassi

Those "experiences" of Busch feature both good and bad moments and are as vast as perhaps any top-level driver in NASCAR history.

He joined what is now Roush Fenway Racing in 2000, making his NASCAR national series debut in the Truck Series. He won four races and finished second in the series standings in his first year.

Busch’s talent was obvious and Roush wasted no time promoting him to the Cup series in 2001 without a single start in the Xfinity Series, a typical stepping-stone in NASCAR’s driver career ladder. Despite getting off to a rough start in Cup competition – he went winless in his first season and finished 27th in the standings – Roush’s belief in Busch soon paid off.

Busch’s career took off as he won 11 times over the next three seasons and claimed the series championship in 2004 – the first year of NASCAR’s playoff system. But just as Busch’s NASCAR career seemed to skyrocket, it looked like it could end. He was fired by Roush in November 2005 after being cited in an alcohol-related incident in Avondale, Arizona, for criminal recklessness and missed the final two races of the season.

Jack Roush and Kurt Busch hoist the 2004 Cup Series title

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Busch though was still able to land on his feet, joining Team Penske beginning with the 2006 season. He was a solid contributor to The Captain's outfit, winning 10 races over the next six seasons, including a fourth-place finish in the series standings in 2009.

In December 2011, however, Penske released Busch, who had been fined $50,000 by NASCAR for a profanity-laced interview with a TV reporter and using an obscene gesture during the season finale race at Homestead. Again Busch’s future seemed uncertain but, again, he clawed his way back.

First, it was a season with owner James Finch and fledgling Phoenix Racing in 2012. His season was interrupted when he was suspended one race by NASCAR after verbally threatening a reporter following an Xfinity race at Dover.

In the off-season, Busch moved to Furniture Row Motorsports, where he gave the upstart single-car team its first top-10 finish in the final series standings in 2013. Next, Busch was tapped as driver for a new Cup team at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, where he won six races over five seasons.

In 2019, Busch and sponsor Monster Energy moved to Chip Ganassi Racing, where he’s won at least once each season, including a victory this year at Atlanta.

That team's sale to Justin Mark's Trackhouse Racing outfit in June appeared to put Busch's future up in the air once again, but the uncertainty was swiftly concluded by his latest move to drive the #45, the number worn by Jordan when he played minor league baseball and upon his return to the NBA after his initial retirement.

It's clear that whatever off-track issues Busch has had, his talent has been exceptional enough to warrant repeated opportunities. His car knowledge and experience have improved race teams wherever he has driven.

Busch has often had to scrap to keep himself in the field, taking rides with single-car teams Phoenix (pictured) in 2012 and Furniture Row before joining SHR

Photo by: Motorsport Images

In announcing Busch’s signing for 2019, team owner Chip Ganassi said: “I’ve had calls from two different people at his previous team saying they were going to miss him, and they liked him around the shop. They liked how he got involved with the cars, they liked his input, they liked what he did as a builder of the team, and as a team-mate.

“So, I think anytime you can have a veteran guy like that, that a) knows how to win races but b) is a good guy in the locker room, per say, I think that brings something to our team.”

"If you talk to anybody that’s worked with Kurt, it’s that he’s the best team-mate. They all said he’s the perfect guy to go out there and help build your programme with" Denny Hamlin

That is certainly the hope for 23XI Racing as it hopes to become a major player in the Cup series in the coming years and, thanks to its ownership group, will also be among the most visible.

“You can’t just expand just to expand,” Hamlin said. “You’ve got to figure out what it takes to win first and so I think Kurt instantly jumps us up to that level.

“If you talk to anybody that’s worked with Kurt, it’s that he’s the best team-mate. They all said he’s the perfect guy to go out there and help build your programme with.

“I think that Kurt’s going to go out there and contend for race wins week-in and week-out. That’s what our goal is.”

Busch remains a popular figure in teams

Photo by: Gavin Baker / NKP / Motorsport Images