Ex-NASCAR champion Kurt Busch invites WRC to return to the United States

Kurt Busch supports the return of WRC (World Rally Championship) on US soil after his trip to Rally Finland. The 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion believes the “newness” of WRC, similar to the NASCAR Chicago street race and Formula 1's Las Vegas Grand Prix, would bring excitement to whichever US city hosts a rally stage.

During the shakedown session of the Rally Finland, Busch rode with Swedish rally driver Oliver Solberg in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. It wasn't his first rally car experience, though, as he drove a Ford Fiesta RS WRC in the 2014 Monza Rally Show.

Per Motorsports.com, Kurt Busch, who retired from NASCAR in 2023, argued that the WRC can make strides in the American motorsports scene.

“It would be fantastic [to have the WRC in the USA],” the former 23XI Racing driver said. “I think the newness of what NASCAR did with the Chicago street race and Formula 1, what they have done with Las Vegas and Miami is a hybrid street race; it brings it to city centres that wouldn’t normally be accustomed to it. Can rally do that? Absolutely, but you have to have the outlying areas for the stages to happen,” he added.

Kurt Busch last drove the #45 23XI Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series - Source: Imagn

1988 was the last time WRC hosted a rally stage in the US. It was held outside Shelton, Washington. While the series usually races in Europe, rally stages are also held in Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Kenya.

Unlike the large, rugged stock cars used in NASCAR, WRC cars are agile and nimble, thanks to their long-travel suspension and all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. Toyota and Ford also compete in the top-tier series of WRC, along with Korean automaker Hyundai.

As for Kurt Busch, he has been active in the racing scene following his career-ending injury in 2022. He was recently announced as a member of NASCAR’s Hall of Fame Class of 2026, an honor his brother, Kyle Busch, publicly congratulated him on X.

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“It was a ride”: Kurt Busch looks back at his NASCAR career after Hall of Fame induction announcement

Kurt Busch discussed his upcoming plans in anticipation of his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026. He wants to “paint the picture” by shedding light on some of the key moments of his career, including his decision to move from Roush Racing, where he won the 2004 championship, to Penske Racing in 2006.

Busch, who won 34 races in the Cup Series, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio in May:

“It was a ride. It wasn’t always peaches and cream and sunshine and rainbows. I hope to paint the picture over these next 9-10 months, and then, of course, at the Hall of Fame event, when all of us go in for the Class of 2026... It’s to paint a picture of my side of things, and what led to this.”

The 2026 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on January 23, 2026. Kurt Busch will be part of the 2026 group along with Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick.

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Edited by Rupesh