NASCAR: Kurt Busch joins exclusive club, second driver to do so
By Asher Fair
Kurt Busch started his first season with 23XI Racing this past weekend at Daytona International Speedway, and in doing so, he joined an exclusive NASCAR club.
Kurt Busch made his long-awaited first start for the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing team this past Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500.
Busch finished in 19th place in the 64th running of the “Great American Race” around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked oval in Daytona Beach, Florida.
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But in addition to becoming just the second driver to compete for 23XI Racing in a points-paying Cup Series race since they entered the sport last year, he also joined an exclusive Cup Series club that only one driver had previously been in.
Busch has now competed for each of the last four Cup Series manufacturers.
The 43-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native’s start in this past Sunday’s race was the 757th start of his 23-year Cup Series career, and it was his first with Toyota.
Busch made his Cup Series debut with Roush Racing in 2000, and he drove a Ford for the team through the 2005 season before moving to Dodge with Team Penske (known as Penske Racing South, Penske Championship Racing and Penske Racing during his time there) in 2006. He moved to Chevrolet and Phoenix Racing in 2012.
He stuck with Chevrolet through 2016, but with several different teams. He moved to Furniture Row Racing before the 2012 season ended, and he left the team after the 2013 season. From 2014 to 2018, he competed for Stewart-Haas Racing. But after 2016, the team switched from Chevrolet to Ford.
Busch reunited with Chevrolet in 2019 when he moved back to Chip Ganassi Racing, where he remained until the end of the 2021 season when the team were acquired by Trackhouse Racing Team.
In total, he has made 284 starts with Chevrolet, 256 starts with Ford, 216 with Dodge — and now one with Toyota.
The only other driver to compete for all four of these manufacturers is Kasey Kahne. The 41-year-old Enumclaw, Washington native competed in 529 races throughout his 15-year career.
Kahne made his Cup Series debut in 2004 with Evernham Motorsports (later known as Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Richard Petty Motorsports during his time there) and he drove a Dodge for the team through the 2009 season before they switched to Ford for 2010.
But before the 2010 season ended, he left Richard Petty Motorsports and Ford and joined Team Red Bull and Toyota, where he remained through the 2011 season.
In 2012, Kahne joined Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet, where he remained through the 2017 season. He moved to Leavine Family Racing before the 2018 season and continued to drive a Chevrolet until he stopped competing just before the playoffs. He ultimately retired from Cup Series competition due to a health issue.
In total, he made 241 starts with Chevrolet, 216 starts with Dodge, 41 starts with Toyota and 31 starts with Ford.
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Busch is set to make his second start with Toyota and 23XI Racing in this Sunday afternoon’s WISE Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway, which is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. Start your free trial of FuboTV today!