Kurt Busch Finds “Adrenaline of Competing” Away From NASCAR Instead of Confronting an Emotional Return to Pocono

It’s almost been a year since the former 23XI Racing driver, Kurt Busch, left the sport of NASCAR, after a life-altering wreck at Pocono. Things had been hard ever since the wreck for the 2004 Cup Series champion, who suffered from a brain injury after his car hit the outside wall during a spin at the iconic racetrack. At the end of the day, no racing driver wants to retire early from what they love doing, but he was compelled to.

All this time later, when it was time for the race at Pocono, he chose not to visit the racetrack. Instead, he competed in another format of racing, which took place near Long Beach. After being able to secure a win, Busch sent out a rather emotional tweet regarding his newfound triumph.

Kurt Busch explains his absence from Pocono Raceway last weekend

Busch shared pictures and an emotional tweet where he is seen with several other people after winning the ski boat racing championship trophy. He participated in the prestigious annual Catalina Ski Race, which runs between Long Beach to Catalina Island and has been going on for the past 40 years or so.

Busch tweeted, “Emotional weekend for me personally. I knew I wasn’t ready to go back to Pocono, but I still have so much passion for NASCAR, my race team 23XIRacing, and our sponsors. @MonsterEnergy @ToyotaRacing @McDonalds @Jumpman23.”

“I was invited to a one-of-a-kind ski boat race in the world and had to go. The adrenaline of competing for a win in such unique event brought me back to chasing checkered flags. Being part of a win, helped bring some closure. Way to go team! 2023 Catalina Ski Boat Race Champs.“

It was great to see Busch return to doing what he loves the most–racing. Although, one would have wished he came back to the Cup Series, alas that seems like a closed chapter at the moment.

What happened to Kurt Busch exactly at Pocono back in 2022?

Heading into the 2022 season, nobody had anticipated that by the end of the season, we would see Kurt Busch leave the sport from a full-time race. Alas, that is what happened. It all went horribly wrong for Busch during the qualifying session at Pocono Raceway.

While coming out of a corner, Busch’s car suddenly spun out and had the rear of his car impact the outside wall hard.

Now, under usual circumstances, nothing should have happened to the occupant of the vehicle. However, the newly introduced Next Gen Cup cars had several safety flaws at the time. One thing that the drivers had complained the most about was that the impacts felt very hard on the drivers.

Owing to that major safety issue with the vehicle following the wreck, Busch had reported suffering from concussion-like symptoms, something that even Dale Earnhardt Jr had gone through. Many had thought, that Busch would eventually make a return later in the season. Although, that was just not the case.

Near the end of the season, the 23XI Racing driver spoke at a press conference and with tears in his eyes, he announced that he would not be racing any longer. Instead, he would be present with the team in a support role, only going forward.