July 3, 2021 | By Lee Spencer

Kurt Busch revels in opportunities for 2022

PLYMOUTH, Wis.--Forget the driver’s seat--Kurt Busch is in the catbird seat when it comes to contemplating his next move. 

Busch, 42, has a spring in his step. Despite the struggles with his the No. 1 Ganassi Racing team, Busch has a genuine sense of optimism regarding 2022 following a run of one-year deals.

Now, the former NASCAR Cup champion appears to have a variety of options when it comes to his next career move—whether that’s behind the wheel or in the TV booth with FOX Sports. 

“That was another bombshell this week, with the FOX people, I didn’t expect that with Jeff Gordon,” Busch said of four-time champion stepping away from broadcasting for his enhanced role as vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. “I’ve got a call into them to see how that shapes up too. 

“My plate is very full. There’s a lot of carbs and a lot of starch and a lot of fun on my plate right now. I actually just signed on to do the truck series playoff races again, so that’s an eight-race stretch. It’s on a Friday night, so it kind of gets me zoned in for Playoff mode for our races at the end of the year.”

Busch was in the Chevrolet simulator on Wednesday when the news broke regarding the sale of Chip Ganassi’s Cup teams—where Busch has spent the last three seasons.

“I came back out and my phone had 200 messages on it,” Busch said. “I was like, ‘Something’s going to happen today.’”

Previous rumors had Busch as the leading candidate for the second 23XI seat. He had mentioned the potential of staying at CGR as well. 

On Saturday, Busch said he previously discussed the second Trackhouse Racing ride before the Marks’ grand plan came to fruition—but the complexion of that opportunity has changed dramatically since their first meeting. 

“I’ve just bumped into him a couple of times,” Busch said of Marks. “An entrepreneur racer that seems to have his head on his shoulders and the ambition to go after ownership in this NASCAR Cup Series. I congratulate him. It’s a tough game and there’s a lot of pressure that comes with all that.”

Busch is also intrigued by the new ownership and branding that Marks and Armando Christian Perez—aka Pitbull—bring to the organization currently known as Chip Ganassi Racing. Might having a youthful owner with the energy and passion of Marks be a game changer for Busch?

“(Marks) reminds me a lot of when I raced at KBM with Kyle Busch,” Busch said. “You have to surround yourself with good people. You can’t do it all yourself. To have a young owner there’s that balance of ‘Hey, I’ve got experience in the car, but I respect your position.’ So we’ll see how things balance out. I’m still racing for Chip right now.”

The last two years with Ganassi, Busch was consistent enough to secure a spot in the Playoffs. This year, the No. 1 Chevrolet’s course has resembled a rollercoaster ride. While he’s 14th in the point standings, but security is sketchy at best with Christopher Bell and Michael McDowell sitting sweet with Ws in the win column.

“Just take it one week at a time,” Busch said. “We’re in a nice battle for the bubble; the cutoff line to get into the Playoffs. I haven’t really been in this situation much. Usually, there’s a win or there’s really good points that give us a cushion. I’ve embraced this year; it’s just been a whole different level because of all of the challenges that have come our way.”

Busch embraced the challenge of running a Cup car at Road America on Saturday. Following the 50-minute practice, Busch found himself atop of the leader board with a time of 133.849 seconds (108.875mph) —.267-seconds faster than his brother Kyle.

“The track is a unique challenge,” Busch said. “There’s an old school feel here with the track’s layout, not a lot of run-off areas and the pace the way the lap time drops. I came here with a Darlington mentality, which probably caught a lot you by surprise. But you have to respect the track and know when to push for a lap. And then you have to work on your tires and the balance of the car for all of the different corners and the long runs that none of us are really going to get into until we get in the race. 

“So, you just have to race the racetrack; try to stay clean and stay out of the trouble. We had a good practice to be able to be on top of the charts. Now we just have to back it up.”