Kurt Busch Fights Back Tears After One-Word Response to Painful Question About NASCAR Career

There are some questions that need to be asked in order to know the answers hiding deep within. And for an athlete who had to forgo his dreams for something was out of his control, such questions can get harder to answer. This was the case for Kurt Busch.

Recently, NASCAR sat several drivers down and asked them some emotional questions as a part of a short film. Out of all the drivers that answered the question, “What did I give up to be here?”, it was Busch’s response that seemed to hurt the most. Especially after knowing what happened to him last season.

Busch had been going well in NASCAR in 2022, despite being in the twilight phase of his career. However, things took a drastic turn and his career ended a little earlier than he would have wanted to. It all happened during the practice session at Pocono last year when, within a flick of a moment, Busch lost control of his car, sliding out and hitting the outside wall.

While the impact didn’t seem as serious or major, the effects of it were hard enough for Busch to have received a severe concussion injury from it.

Kurt Busch delivers a one worded heartbreaking message

After Busch looked at the board which had the question up, he emotionally stared at it for a little while, before hoisting it up to show the camera what was written on it. He then slowly looked up, his face turning red while he tried to keep his emotions under control, but clearly, he couldn’t.

It’s not easy getting to this point.

Driving Pressure, the next Beyond the Wheel short film, airs Thursday at 6 PM ET on FS1. pic.twitter.com/n5fpZXa9Lk

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 8, 2023

He then gently kept board aside and said, “Yeah….”

The message was clear, and it did not even need an explanation regarding how he felt reading that. Then, Busch throwed the cardboard containing the question to the ground and leaned his head downwards, as if wondering, replaying in his head how it all went wrong for him and the video ended right there with a hard cut, leaving the viewer reflecting on how it all went wrong for Busch, what could’ve been, and what is.

What did the other drivers say in response to the question?

Apart from Busch, the other drivers that answered the question were Corey LaJoie, Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, and Ryan Blaney. Early into the clip shared on social media, LaJoie gave his response regarding the question.

He mentioned, “I would say that everything that I have given up I’ve gained back. You know whether it’s relationships or whether it is your family.” Right after the younger Busch brother stated that he did not have a “whole lotta friends,” further stating, “It was just, went to school, did my work, went home, worked in the garage.”

Next came Bubba Wallace who said, “It’s so different lifestyle that I was living.” Adding that he was in different states every weekend racing. Then it was Blaney’s turn who mentioned, “Racings all I have ever done. So I didn’t have any other career other than this. I grew up around it watching Dad and gave up my weekends. I guess.”

All in all, almost everyone who has achieved something in their careers and made it all the way to the top echelon of American stock car racing, they have given up on something or the other to have made it happen. After all, it is hard work paired with sacrifices, which help people achieve the things they dream about the most in their lives.