Kurt Busch Announces His Official Retirement From The NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch has officially announced his retirement.

This comes about 10 months after the 45-year-old announced he was stepping away from full-time competition. This was due to lingering issues with a concussions following a crash at Pocono last season.

However, he never used the word "retire" until Saturday afternoon ahead of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.

Busch posted a video with his announcement and a thank you message to his social media accounts.

“Racing requires 100 percent of focus, heart, stamina, and determination, and I’ve never raced a day without all of that in mind,” the 2004 Cup Series champion and 2017 Daytona 500 winner said in the video.

“But sometimes father time can catch up to your dreams. My incredible team of doctors and I have come to the conclusion that at this point in my recovery, there are just too many obstacles for me to overcome and get back to 100 percent."

Busch's crash during qualifying at Pocono in 2022, was the last time hopped in a car for a race weekend. However, he stuck with his team — 23XI Racing — as a consultant, even after announcing a step away from full-time competition.

Last season, Ty Gibbs drove Busch's No. 45 (until he swapped rides with Bubba Wallace for the playoffs). This season, the No. 45 has been driven by Tyler Reddick.

“So, after 23 years behind the wheel and 45 years of living and breathing this dream, I’m officially announcing my retirement from NASCAR Cup Series competition.”

Busch's full-time career in the Cup series ran from 2001 until his crash at Pocono last summer.

Throughout his career, Kurt Busch won 34 races. He was recently named to NASCAR's list of the 75 greatest drivers ever.

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