The announcement hit officially on Friday afternoon.
Kurt Busch is headed to 23XI Racing for another full-time season of NASCAR Cup Series racing, driving the No. 45 Toyota for the Denny Hamlin – Michael Jordan owned NASCAR team.
Currently a part of the bought-out Chip Ganassi Racing team, Busch needed a landing spot to continue racing at the highest level next season.
He found one in 23XI.
“I cannot begin to express my gratitude for this opportunity,” Busch said in a press release. “Racing to win is what I live for. Helping to continue developing a new team, alongside Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, and Toyota is exactly what I want to be part of. Winning is important to 23XI, it’s important to Monster Energy, and it’s important to me. That is our goal.”
The team owner in Hamlin always looked at expanding as his next step in starting up 23XI Racing.
His team is in its first season in the NASCAR Cup Series with Bubba Wallace at the helm of his No. 23 car.
“When we started this team, our vision was to grow to a multi-car organization. To be able to expand in just our second year is a huge step for us,” Hamlin said in the release. “Kurt brings a wealth of knowledge and a championship mindset to our team, and will be able to help us grow stronger and more competitive each and every week.”
Monster Energy will come with Busch from Chip Ganassi Racing and serve as the primary sponsor to the 45 car for the 2022 season.
Also noted is the number placement on Busch’s car – something NASCAR has been exploring as of late and looks to have made a decision on.
Busch, his future teammate in Wallace, Hamlin and the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field will be in action on Saturday night, as drivers compete under the lights at Daytona for the final race of the regular season. The action kicks off at 6:00 p.m. on NBC.
