Kurt Busch Announces Retirement At Daytona -- What’s Next?

While still not fully recovered from last year's concussion, the former Cup champ has options available if he gets the itch to race again and is ultimately cleared medically

Saturday afternoon, Kurt Busch, a veteran of 23 NASCAR seasons, former NASCAR Cup champion, 34-time Cup Series winner (plus 5 Xfinity and 4 Trucks wins), stepped away from NASCAR's premier league, officially announcing his retirement from driving.

This announcement has loomed for a bit with Busch, who just turned 45 on August 4, being out of a race car since suffering a concussion in July 2022 and continuing throughout the 2023 season. Up next: he is taking part in a role with 23XII Racing, one that Busch referenced jokingly as "CVO: Chief Vision Officer."

The Daytona 500 winner and Coke 600 winner has done it all in the sport, referencing his appreciation to his fans, family, and teammates that he has worked with, thanking them for pushing him to his success.

Now that Busch is stepping away from behind the wheel and looking towards a new journey, the question arises as to what is next for Kurt Busch in racing?

Yes, it is possible that Busch steps away from racing completely to focus time on his family and personal life around him. However, the driver’s itch is a hard thing to ignore, something that could possibly lure the elder Busch brother once again soon.

Option #1: SRX/Other Motorsports

This is the most likely option for Busch, given the shortness of the season (six consecutive weeks) and the speeds of the race cars typically only in the high double-digits from track to track.

SRX could truly be on the cards for Busch once he is fully cleared for competition.

Having previously driven in NASCAR Cup for Stewart-Hass Racing, his connection with Tony Stewart is already there. Although Busch still may not want to do all six weeks, he may see this as a chance to race again with his younger brother Kyle, who made his SRX debut this season in two races, winning both. For Kurt and Kyle to face off again in SRX, that's a guaranteed sellout whatever track it potentially could be held at (perhaps The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, their respective home track.

Beyond SRX, the potential for IMSA, other forms of sports cars like WEC or other forms of racing is also a possibility.

Option #2: IndyCar

Busch is no stranger to IndyCar, running the doubleheader with the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in 2014, finishing 25th in his first race and grabbing Rookie of the Year.

That being said, the opportunity to get behind the wheel of an open-wheel IndyCar is possible but probably unlikely, given he'd be exceeding 225 mph, which would likely require extensive testing to determine whether his concussion is fully healed and that he could physically and mentally handle speeds of that nature. 

Being heavily involved in the Toyota camp, there may not be any true chance for him to get with a team, given that Honda and Chevy are the two main manufacturers. But Busch’s chance of doing a one-off is there, particularly the Indianapolis 500 if his concussion eventually fully heals.

Option #3: Off-Road Motorsports and even drag racing

This may be the most far-fetched of the options open to Busch, but the opportunity to race off-road is possible in the future for him, especially given Monster Energy’s relationship with this form of motorsport.

Busch seems like one that may not go back to a Cup car or even a NASCAR machine ever again, but the option of looking at other opportunities is possible, and off-road racing could be on the cards.

It would be an easy move, given Monster’s heavy sponsorship presence amongst racers with off-road backgrounds. However, being that Busch is not cleared to get back in any type of race car, his desire to get into a form of motorsports that may be vigorous may not be a viable option, either.

And let's not forget that very early in Busch's Cup career, he also had a couple of one-off appearances in an NHRA Pro Stock machine. We could easily see this being perhaps the most viable option for him, next to SRX.

But again, it would all depend on whether he ultimately heals from his concussion 100 percent.

Final Thoughts

Busch’s options are truly endless, but truly, the No. 1 question -- after whether he can still physically and mentally do it -- is, "Does Busch still want to race?"

Hearing what Busch had to say, people should be inclined to say that he left the door open to a potential return to racing. But the emotional, physical, and mental wear that racing can do can put Busch in a spot where he simply wants to spend time with his family and put racing permanently in his rearview mirror.

Only time will tell if the CVO of 23XII will get back to being a DBW: Driver Behind the Wheel.