Kurt Busch takes a savage jibe at self at expense of Governor Josh Shapiro

Kurt Busch, who is set to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026, will be serving as the Grand Marshal for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway. During the Amazon Prime Video broadcast, Busch discussed his role for the race, and took a hilarious jibe at himself.

Busch will be the Grand Marshal and give the historic command for engines to start before the sold-out Great American Getaway 400. In addition to the ceremonial duties, Busch will be present at several public events, including a special Q&A session at the Victory Lane Stage.

The track has also decided to honor Busch by giving him a tribute by painting "TY KURT" along the start/finish line as a way to pay tribute to him and the sport. As an added significance, Busch will return to the site of his career-ending crash from 2022 during a qualifying lap, which forced him into retirement with a concussion.

Kurt Busch elaborated on his duties as Grand Marshal for the upcoming race, saying that he will only say the iconic words he will not wave the green flag which will be done by Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, resulting in boos from the crowd. Busch slyly remarked on how the fans have reacted to him in the past.

"I'm going to be "gentleman start your engines". The governor wants to wave the green flag, so I'm learning how to share with that. Oh, whoops... I'm not getting booed. Normally, I'm the guy getting booed," Busch said as shared by NASCAR journalist Steven Taranto on X.

Kurt Busch began his NASCAR Cup Series career in the year 2000 and established himself as a serious contender, eventually winning 34 Cup series races overall and the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Busch's career spanned decades and showed flexibility, driving for several of the Series' biggest teams, including Penske Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, and 23XI Racing. He is also known for being the only driver to win Cup races with four different manufacturers: Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet, and Toyota.

---

Kurt Busch reminisces “golden Penske years” as he looks back at his time with ‘the captain’

Kurt Busch recently reflected on his tenure with Penske Racing, describing it as the "golden years" of his NASCAR career. Busch drove the iconic #2 Dodge for Roger Penske, known as "The Captain", from 2006 to 2011 during the Car of Tomorrow (COT) era—a period marked by significant safety advancements in NASCAR.

"Some of the golden years in @NASCAR. Racing for @Team_Penske was an honor. Some years we had the fastest cars and some years we didn't. Definitely had the highs with the lows, during the COT era," he wrote on X.

Busch fondly recalled the era on social media, expressing pride in racing for Team Penske and acknowledging both the highs and lows that came with competing at the top level during a time of rapid change in the sport.