Kurt Busch believes potential 2012 Sonoma victory would've cemented a "huge underdog story"

Kurt Busch took a trip down memory lane and recalled how the 2012 Sonoma race could have built a whole new narrative for his NASCAR Cup Series career. Busch, speaking about the 2012 Toyota Save/Mart 350 at the Sonoma Raceway, stated that the win at that race could have built a "huge underdog story."

Kurt Busch, the 2004 Cup Series champion, is one of the most renowned Cup Series drivers in the modern era. His impressive NASCAR career found a new feather in his already illustrious cap with the recent induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

After a thorough voting ceremony, Busch was selected as one of three NASCAR Hall of Famers in the 2026 class for his contribution to the sport. While NASCAR announced the former Cup Series driver's name in the Hall of Fame, he attended an interview and spoke to Steven Taranto, and this was when he mentioned the Sonoma 2012 race.

"It was definitely a reset," Busch said. "I was racing with Finch, it was a lot of fun, we didn't have any expectations but I still drove the car as a top-tier Hendrick car, of course it wasn't. And we had some fun, we had some rough races, and we also put together pretty good string of finishes, and almost won Sonoma.

"If I had won Sonoma in 2012 it would have lit the NASCAR world on fire. That would have been a huge underdog story. Uniquely different than Shane van Gisbergen's win in the Chicago Street Race, and that was a different legend, that right there," he further added. (1:32 onwards)

Kurt Busch was racing for Phoenix Racing in 2012, after he moved from Furniture Row Racing. While his season seemed statistically underwhelming, the 2012 Toyota Save/Mart 350 at Sonoma looked promising.

Busch started the race from eighth place, but fell short of victory as he came home in third place. He finished his race behind Clint Bowyer, the race winner, and Tony Stewart, the runner-up.

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Kurt Busch shared his reactions after NASCAR put his name as Hall of Famer inductee

Former Cup Series driver Kurt Busch let his feelings be known after he came to know about NASCAR's decision to put him as one of the inductees for the 2026 NASCAR Hall of Fame class. NASCAR put him along with nine others as potential inductees for the 2026 Class in the 16th edition of the Hall of Fame. As he was selected, here's what the former driver said:

Retired NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch speaks onstage at the 2023 NASCAR Awards Banquet - Source: Imagn

"I had to go like into racer mode. I had to kind of stay focused on the emotions of it, but also you're listening to all of the statistics and all of the heroes that I looked up to and raced against and the ones that are on the ballot with me."

"Everyone's deserving, and I was fingers crossed hoping that it would happen. But either way, I would still be here to celebrate our past, our present, and our future," he added.

Along with Kurt Busch, NASCAR will also induct Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick as the Hall of Famers, while Humpy Wheeler will receive the Landmark Award for his contribution to the sport.