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Almost all NASCAR Cup Series teams have announced 2023 line-ups for their charted cars. But the rides of part-time drivers Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson are yet to be announced.
Their respective fanbases want to see more of their favorite drivers. A recent comment by long-time NASCAR reporter Lee Spencer of RacingBoys.com confirmed that we may see more of Kurt Busch than previously expected.
When Jeff Gordon left Fox Sports after the 2021 NASCAR season, to focus on his duties at Hendrick Motorsports, they didn’t hire a full-time replacement for Gordon. Instead, the network depends on a rotating cast that includes Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Danica Patrick.
Except for a sudden change of direction, Fox Sports will follow the same path for the next few seasons. The network’s executives are speculated to be waiting for the availability of Kevin Harvick. He is widely expected to retire after the 2023 season, to become available before beginning full-time employment.
During a recent Pit Reporters podcast, Lee Spencer confirmed that Fox Sports was not looking for full-time help and didn’t give Kurt Busch the answer he wanted.
“It appears that way because I talked to Kurt and he said, ‘Hey you know, I’d love to do the first seven races'. He wasn’t greeted with that same kind of energy that he was looking for, so he’ll be doing quite a bit with Fox but probably not as much as he’d like to.”
If he leaves the booth after the first seven races, then it would allow him to drive at Richmond Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway, where he won 10 of his 34 starts. Kurt Busch could step in earlier and more often. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his home track would be a natural place to start.
Kurt Busch will participate part-time in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season
Kurt Busch missed out in the second half of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season due to a concussion, but he has since recovered and will participate as a part-time driver at 23XI Racing. His team needs a third charter because it has given up his full-time ride to Tyler Reddick.
23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin earlier cleared that Busch could have whatever role he wanted, whether that was driving, working in the front office or both.
The Las Vegas native has previously worked as an analyst on Xfinity and Truck Series. With no longer a full-time racing commitment to NASCAR, he can easily fit more of those assignments into his schedule.
