Kurt Busch has announced that he will be stepping away from full-time competition, effective immediately. That opens up the 45 car for the recently bought-out Tyler Reddick in 2023, but where does that leave Kurt Busch? Well, he could be…
The Next Terry Labonte: Texas Terry (and his brother, for that matter) left full-time racing to become Past Champions For Hire, going to low-level and start-up teams for a handful of races, guaranteed a starting spot. Kurt COULD do this, but after you’ve already done it for a Florida construction magnate and a Denver waterbed salesman, what’s left to do?
The Next Mark Martin: Nascar ALWAYS needs a veteran super-sub on hand in case a driver gets suspended or injured. And like Greg Sacks before him and Regan Smith after him, Mark Martin served that role quite well. The question is if Kurt is willing to go full-on Mark Martin—getting in amazing shape, listening to hip-hop, and looking twenty years older than he actually is.
The Next David Reutimann: IF Joe Gibbs doesn’t want to rush Ty Gibbs to Cup full-time, and IF Kurt wouldn’t mind being a place-holder, Ty and Kurt could split a schedule in the 18 car next year. Besides Monster Energy sponsoring the both of them, it would take the pressure off Ty having to contend for the Playoffs in his rookie season, not to mention giving Kurt a nice send-off in first-rate equipment. Plus there’s the irony of Kurt partially-replacing Kyle. It'll be just like when Reuty split the schedule with Danica, only much-less pathetic.
The Next Jeff Burton (kinda): When Jeff Burton departed full-time competition, he was supposed to run a partial schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing as part of his transition to the broadcast booth. While that partial schedule wound up numbering in the single-digits, Kurt’s rumored move to Fox Sports could see him step out of the booth for a few races next year to be an in-car reporter. And yes, this worked out SO well with Kyle “WHAT THE F*** WAS THAT?” Petty.
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