Kurt Busch set to return to the track that ended his NASCAR career after Hall of Fame induction

Kurt Busch is set to return to the track where his NASCAR career ended. Per NASCAR reporter Kelly Crandall, the executives at Pocono Raceway asked Busch to visit the tri-oval after the Hall of Fame nomination ceremony. The reason, however, wasn't disclosed.

As a refresher, Busch, driving for 23XI Racing at the time, crashed during the qualifying session at Pocono Raceway in 2022. The now 46-year-old suffered concussions before announcing his retirement a year later. Drivers like Ty Gibbs stepped in while Busch recovered before Tyler Reddick took over the #45 Toyota full-time in 2023.

Kurt Busch concluded his Cup Series career with 34 wins for teams like Roush Racing (now RFK Racing) and the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing. His most notable achievement was winning the 2004 Cup championship, beating the now-seven-time-champ Jimmie Johnson amid the introduction of the playoff system. He was also named as one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers.

Kelly Crandall shared Busch's return to the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania track on X following his election to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

“Kurt Busch will be back at Pocono Raceway this year for the first time since the crash that ended his career. Busch said the track reached out to him after NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees were announced and said they want him to come back, but he’s not sure what they have planned,” she wrote.

NASCAR will host the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 22. The 160-lap contest will succeed the inaugural Mexico City race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the first points-paying event outside the US since 1958.

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“I was fingers crossed hoping that it would happen”: Kurt Busch's initial reaction to NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026 election

Following the NASCAR Hall of Fame announcement, Kurt Busch shared his thoughts on being part of the Class of 2026 on Tuesday. He said that he had kept his fingers crossed while waiting for his name to be called in a pool of drivers he looked up to.

In an interview with Shannon Spake, Kurt Busch, who made the Hall of Fame as a first-ballot inductee, said (via NASCAR):

“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.” [20:28 onwards]

“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.

The 2004 Cup champion also thanked the NASCAR nation for voting for him, saying:

“Thank you to the fans for their votes, the media, NASCAR Brass, and everyone that's part of the panel.” [22:50 onwards]

Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick are the two other members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2026. The former is an 18-time Cup race winner who had four consecutive victories at 51 in 1991, while the latter amassed over 700 Modified and Late Model Sportsman Series wins between 1950 and 1988. They will officially be inducted on January 23 next year at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina.