NASCAR: 23XI Racing driver change confirmed for Michigan
By Asher Fair
Kurt Busch is set to sit out this Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway as he continues to recover.
Kurt Busch hasn’t been back behind the wheel of his #45 23XI Racing Toyota Camry since his crash during the second round of qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway two weekends ago.
Busch experienced concussion-like symptoms on Sunday before the race and missed the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400.
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Ty Gibbs, who competes full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series, was called upon as his replacement and finished in 16th place, a respectable result considering the fact that he had never previously sat behind the wheel of a Next Gen car.
Busch, who hadn’t missed a race since March 2015, wasn’t cleared to compete in the following Sunday’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and it was Gibbs who was called upon to fill in for him again. He finished the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard in 17th place.
The 2004 series champion hasn’t been cleared to compete in this coming Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway either.
Once again, Gibbs is set to replace Busch behind the wheel of the #45 Toyota for the FireKeepers Casino 400. Busch has set his sights on returning for the following Sunday’s race at Richmond Raceway, the Federated Auto Parts 400.
— Kurt Busch (@KurtBusch) August 3, 2022
Busch has already been granted a playoff waiver, meaning that if he is qualified for the playoffs when the regular season ends, he would be eligible to compete, despite the fact that he hasn’t competed in every race.
The 43-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native won the race at Kansas Speedway back in mid-May, but because of how many winners there have been this season (14), that win hasn’t necessarily locked him into the playoffs.
If there are more than 16 winners in the regular season, which there can still be since there are four races remaining on the 26-race regular season schedule, the multi-race winners would all be locked in, but the point standings would determine which single-race winners get in and which don’t.
Busch sits in 18th place in the point standings, which positions him as the lowest of the eight single-race winners. He sits 30 points behind Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe, who is tied for 15th, for the next lowest spot. Briscoe won at Phoenix Raceway in mid-March.
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Tune in to USA Network at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 7 for the live broadcast of the FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss the season’s 23rd race!