Kurt Busch announced his retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series completion in a media post on Saturday afternoon, titled, “Thank you to everyone who helped me accomplish my dream.”
He later met with the media at Daytona International Speedway to discuss what led him to this decision and expressed his appreciation to everyone who has positively impacted his career.
“As I transition out of the driver’s seat, I can’t help but feel incredibly blessed to have spent the amount of time I did as a driver in NASCAR, and I could never have imagined that growing up as a blue-collar kid from Las Vegas,” Busch said. “
“So many people have been part of my journey. I want to thank the fans, my family, friends, sponsors and team members. Thanks to everyone who has taught me the different things around the motorsports world, and also for those who have had to put up with me. And I want to just thank again, everyone that continues to push me to strive for success in this sport. It’s time for a new journey, and I’m excited to get started.”
Busch, who won the first series championship under the Playoff system in 2004, leaves the series with an impressive resume that includes 34 NASCAR Cup Series victories during a 23-year career.
His first win came in 2004 with Roush Racing and he continued his winning ways with various organizations including Team Penske, Stewart-Haas Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing.
In 2022 Busch moved to 23XI Racing as the driver of the No. 45 Toyota, winning at Kansas Speedway. His season would be cut short at Pocono Raceway when Busch crashed during qualifying and suffered a concussion. However, he remained with the organization as a consultant and a mentor to drivers, Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. In May 2023, Busch was named to the list of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.
“Again, it’s not one moment that’s led to this,” Busch said. “It’s a few different factors, and my body is having a battle with Father Time. I’ve had arthritis ever since I can remember. My gout has flared up so much that I can barely walk on some days, just pushing to get through physical therapy and to continue the workouts. I remember last summer, I was trying to not show that emotion, and I barely could even walk to the car at Dover because I had to have some shots pre-race just so that I could move my knee and move my feet. Those are those moments where things were starting to add up before things happened at Pocono.
“As I transition out of the driver’s seat, I can’t help but feel incredibly blessed to have spent the amount of time I did as a driver in NASCAR, and I could never have imagined that growing up as a blue-collar kid from Las Vegas,” Busch said. “So many people have been part of my journey. I want to thank the fans, my family, friends, sponsors and team members.
“Thanks to everyone who has taught me the different things around the motorsports world, and also for those who have had to put up with me. And I want to just thank again, everyone that continues to push me to strive for success in this sport. It’s time for a new journey, and I’m excited to get started.”
In summary, he said, “I’m 45 years old. I’m very happy, complacent, and there’s nothing that I look back on and regret about having this opportunity at the top level of NASCAR.”
“It’s time for a new journey, and I’m excited to get it started.”
