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23XI Racing driver Kurt Busch has been trying his best to keep his team on the winning map. Over the weekend, Busch drove his #45 Monster Energy Toyota Camry to a P2 finish after a long battle with the man of the day, Chase Elliot. Most drivers hoped to take this win home after an off-weekend of re-energizing, and Busch was among the drivers battling for it.
After securing the P2 finish most drivers wish they had, Busch was unhappy with his performance. According to the 23XI driver, he thought he was too soft on Elliott and failed to give the final lap enough energy, giving the latter a soft landing on the checkered ground.
Kurt Busch expressed his disappointment after Chase Elliot squarely edged him in a post-race interview. In his statement, he said:
“I got soft on him. I should have been throwing some fenders and moving some momentum around. I didn’t stick with our strength. We didn’t have many strengths tonight.”
He added, saying:
“We have a great group of guys and girls. The way that we’re running, a second is cool, but we’re here for wins with the playoff situation. This Camry and all the TRD Camrys were awesome. I just hate it when we don’t get into victory lane and I was right there. I wanted to throw some fenders, but I didn’t get the job done. Everybody will be smiling, but I let them down. I should have come up with a better plan.”
The 43-year-old believes second place is better, but they were there to win, and he failed his crew, who worked hard to do so.
Kurt Busch’s incredible performance for 23XI Racing team
Though he felt his performance wasn’t impressive as he had hoped, Kurt Busch was among the fastest drivers all day. He took the green flag from P19, and before the end of the stage, he was already sitting in the top-5, finishing second at the end of the race.
The third stage got better for him, taking the lead for three laps before Chase Elliott reclaimed it. With four laps remaining, Busch was sitting on P2, and his assignment was to do the calculation of edging the #9 and giving 23XI a second win.
His calculations went sideways, and Elliott won by a bigger margin. Busch currently serves as the savior of 23XI as Bubba Wallace Jr. has it rough almost every weekend.
The P2 finish was a good start to Busch’s second-half of the 2022 NASCAR season. With 18 races behind us, the journey is becoming shorter. With the season halfway through, Busch has secured a win for the 23XI team, and on top of that, he has recorded eight top-10 finishes, including five top-5 finishes and one win.
