The 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch is currently in Sydney, Australia, ready to take on the Race of Champions. The event marks his return to competitive racing following the concussion that put him out of the car in 2022. In an entertaining quiz he offered to Man of Many, a digital lifestyle publication, he gave some interesting answers for fans to think about.
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Among a host of questions, Busch was asked which driver, living or dead, he would pick to be his co-driver in an endurance race. He stormed his brain and mentioned that it would need to be someone from the grounds of competitions such as the Baja 1000 or the Dakar Rally. Ultimately, he settled with Carlos Sainz Sr., the father of the F1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr.
Sainz is a two-time World Rally Championship winner (1990 and 1992). He won both titles with Toyota and also finished as the runner-up four times. He was also the first non-Nordic driver to win the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland. Alongside these feats, he also won the Dakar Rally four times (2010, 2018, 2020, and 2024).
Busch stated, “You want the guys who can do it day after day after day. I would go, Sainz.” Interestingly, Sainz also won the Race of Champions in 1997. Perhaps the NASCAR veteran can take a page out of his book and produce an impressive result in the upcoming challenge. The cruciality of the same cannot be understated.
Why Busch needs to race well in Australia
For a long time after his accident in the Pocono Raceway, doctors did not clear Busch to race. There were huge questions on his ability to do so in the future as well. He admitted to RACER magazine, “Things happen on the NASCAR circuit, and my time there was almost up. It was like, ‘This is what is going on. The doctors are not clearing me.’ It felt like the end, and I was fine.”
However, he pushed himself hard and finally got the clearance to participate in the Race of Champions. He believes that this event will be the Pandora’s box that opens up other opportunities for him. He will be representing Team USA in Sydney along with Travis Pastrana.
Following their collective efforts, Busch will race against his teammates and others to win the “Champion of Champions” crown. Busch’s return has been a long-awaited one. NASCAR fans will hope to see him back racing in the Cup Series soon.
