NASCAR: 5 possible Trackhouse Racing drivers for 2022
By Randy Smith
Possible 2022 Trackhouse Racing drivers: No. 5 – Kurt Busch
This brings us to the second in-house driver at Chip Ganassi Racing and the other top candidate to fill the second Trackhouse seat: Kurt Busch.
Busch may not bring the youth that Ross Chastain would bring, but he certainly has the winning pedigree that any team looking for a new driver would want. He is the 2004 Cup Series champion, a former Daytona 500 winner, and a driver with 32 career victories. That is certainly an easy selling point.
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But what gives Busch the edge over his current teammate is the prior interest that Trackhouse had in him before their announcement of buying out Chip Ganassi Racing.
Busch confirmed a few weeks ago that Trackhouse had already contacted him about driving a potential second car when they were looking to expand. Up until the sale was announced, the same couldn’t be said for Chastain. So Trackhouse may have already shown their hand when it comes to which Chip Ganassi Racing driver they’d like to sign for next season.
Additionally, Busch brings something which most, if not all, of the drivers previously mentioned do not: sponsorship. Busch’s relationship with former Cup Series title sponsor Monster Energy has been a relationship that both Busch and Monster have built upon over several years, and this is a relationship that should stay intact no matter where Busch ends up in 2022.
While retirement rumors have surrounded Busch since Monster released his “Shifting Gears” video, he may put retirement on hold for an opportunity to drive the Next Gen car, something he has long said he wants the chance to do.
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Another option for Busch is 23XI Racing. Team co-owner Denny Hamlin wants to expand the Toyota team as quickly as possible, and they reportedly have the 42-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native as their top candidate for a second car. It’s a safe bet that they will continue to make an aggressive move in landing Busch. So like Trackhouse, he may have a tough decision to make himself.