Kurt Busch felt "pretty much done" until Michael Jordan called him to leave his fingerprints on 23XI Racing

Kurt Busch may have thought his competitive fire was fading. But in the winter of 2021, as the NASCAR Cup Series was ushering in the Next Gen era, one phone call from Denny Hamlin, and then another from Michael Jordan, was all it took to light that fire again.

This led to Busch's surprise return in 2022 with 23XI Racing. He has now earned a place among the legends in the NASCAR Hall of Fame's Class of 2026. Before that call, he'd all but accepted that his full-time days were numbered. His tenure with Chip Ganassi Racing had already stretched into a veteran phase, and with the team's charters brought by Trackhouse Racing, it seemed like a natural end-point.

At 43, he had little to prove, and even less to chase. That's when fate intervened.

"My time at (Chip) Ganassi, I felt like I was pretty much done, like 2020, 2021. But then that Next Gen car was like, 'Yeah, what's that all about? Maybe I'll do it, maybe I won't.' And then the sponsor (Monster Energy) was like, 'Hey, there's this opportunity with 23XI (Racing)'... then I got a call from Denny (Hamlin) personally... And then this guy named Michael Jordan calls you, you are like, 'Let's do this'," Kurt Busch told Shannon Spake. (0:19 onwards)

Kurt Busch's stint at Chip Ganassi Racing between 2019 and 2021 was steady. He won at Kentucky in 2019 and Las Vegas in 2020, but behind the scenes, CGR was nearing a crossroads. When Trackhouse Racing purchased the team's Cup operations in 2021, it left Busch without a clear landing spot until 23XI Racing co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin convinced him to join.

Busch joined 23XI Racing in its sophomore year, driving the new No. 45 Toyota while Bubba Wallace continued in the No. 23. His experience brought a mentor's voice in the room for the upstart team. He got his first and the team's second-ever win at Kansas in May 2022, securing 23XI's maiden playoff berth.

Kurt Busch (45) celebrates winning the 2022 AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Source: Imagn

But the promise of that postseason push ended suddenly when Busch suffered a concussion during qualifying at Pocono Raceway in 2022. His symptoms lingered, and it proved to be his final Cup race. He stayed on with 23XI in an advisory role, helping Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and the organization's development efforts.

But by the time the 2026 Hall of Fame voting rolled around, Kurt Busch's racing resume was already HOF-worthy with 34 wins, the 2004 title, and a Daytona 500 win in 2017.

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"My mom was next to me and my dad was right next to her": Kurt Busch recalls entering the 2026 Hall of Fame

Brothers Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch pose with their mother, Gaye Busch, before the 2022 Goodyear 400 at Darlington. Source: Getty

Despite an early end to his career, Kurt Busch's racing story found a happy final chapter. His name was the last read out during the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 announcement, a moment that returned him to race-day nerves, but also back to where it all started.

Busch was elected over nominees like Randy LaJoie, Jeff Burton, and Greg Biffle in the Modern Era category. He will join fellow inductees Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick, while legendary promoter Humpy Wheeler will receive the Landmark Award. However, he dedicated the win to his parents (via Shannon Spake):

"I'm sitting there next to Biff (Greg Biffle), I'm like, 'Oh man that was a bit awkward'. And I had like the nervous moment of just stay focused, stay poised, and if your name's not announced, take it, and hopefully it'll be next year. And then it was the announcement. My mom was next to me and my dad was right next to her, and it's just that whole moment of that first-ever race." (2:09 onwards)

The first thing that came to his mind was his first race against his father, and the journey the Busch family has been on together from the start.

From a teenage legend car driver at Las Vegas Bullring to a NASCAR Cup Series champion, and now, to a Hall of Famer, Kurt Busch's journey was as erratic and thrilling as his driving style. There were moments of controversy, yes. But also moments of growth, maturity, and undeniable greatness.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl