1. Kurt Thomas Busch was born on August 4,1978 and is an American auto racing driver.
143 Facts About Kurt Busch
1. 2.
Kurt Busch is the older brother of two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.
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Kurt Busch has won 34 Cup races and claimed the championship in the inaugural "Chase for the Cup" points format.
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Early in his career, Kurt Busch gained attention for his aggressive driving and clashes with competitors, team members, and the media.
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Kurt Busch is the only driver to win Cup races with four manufacturers: Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet, and Toyota.
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Beyond stock car racing, Kurt Busch has competed in the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the National Hot Rod Association.
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Kurt Busch began his racing career at age 14 in a Dwarf car at Pahrump Valley Speedway, introduced to the sport by his father.
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Kurt Busch competed in IMCA Modified racing early in his career.
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Kurt Busch gained national attention in the 1997 Winter Heat Series at Tucson Speedway, competing against notable drivers like Ron Hornaday Jr.
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In 1998, Kurt Busch won Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series, and went on to secure the series championship in 1999.
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Kurt Busch's success earned him a spot in the Roush Racing "Gong Show," where he won a Craftsman Truck Series ride.
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Roush Racing announced during the 2000 season that Kurt Busch would be promoted to the Winston Cup Series for 2001, replacing Chad Little in the No 97 Ford.
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Little was released early, allowing Kurt Busch to take over the No 97 John Deere-sponsored Ford at Dover in September 2000.
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Kurt Busch competed in seven of the final eight races that season, with Jeff Hammond as his crew chief, while Little drove at Talladega.
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Kurt Busch began the 2001 season driving an unsponsored car after John Deere ended its sponsorship of the No 97 car following 2000.
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Kurt Busch recorded three top-five finishes and six top-10 finishes during the season.
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Kurt Busch remains the last active driver to have raced against Earnhardt in the Cup Series.
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Kurt Busch secured his best finish of the season with a third-place result at the spring Talladega race, just three weeks after earning his first career Top 5 at Texas.
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Kurt Busch claimed a fifth-place finish in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.
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Kurt Busch failed to qualify for the penultimate race in Atlanta.
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Kurt Busch wrapped up the season with a 21st-place finish at the postponed race in New Hampshire, ending 27th in points and second to Kevin Harvick in the Rookie of the Year standings.
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Kurt Busch secured his first victory at the Food City 500 in Bristol, outdueling Jimmy Spencer on worn tires.
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Kurt Busch achieved 12 top-five finishes, 20 top-10 finishes, and one pole position, earning third place in the final standings and 5,105,394 in prize money.
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Kurt Busch dominated the end of the season, winning three of the final five races and leading laps in the other two.
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Kurt Busch became the first driver in NASCAR history to win the most races in his first winning season, a record later matched by Carl Edwards in 2005.
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Kurt Busch secured four wins, including a season sweep at Bristol, becoming the first driver to achieve this since Rusty Wallace in 2000.
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Kurt Busch held the lead entering the final corner, but Craven drew nearly even exiting Turn 4.
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Kurt Busch became the second driver to sweep both races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in a single season.
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On lap 93, Kurt Busch reported a flat right-front tire and entered the access road leading to pit road.
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The loose wheel brought out a caution, but Kurt Busch recovered, regained his positions, and secured the title.
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Kurt Busch ended the season with 10 top-five finishes and 21 top-10 finishes.
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In 2005, midway through the season, Kurt Busch announced that he would be leaving Roush Racing at the end of the year to replace Rusty Wallace in the No 2 Miller Lite-sponsored Dodge for Penske Racing South.
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However, when it became clear that Kurt Busch had already signed a contract with Roger Penske, Roush decided to let him go.
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Kurt Busch had a strong 2005 season, winning three races, earning nine Top 5 finishes, and 18 Top 10 finishes in 34 races.
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Kurt Busch posted an average finish of 15.3, which helped him secure 10th place in the final points standings.
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Kurt Busch celebrated by making a snow angel on the track due to snow that weekend.
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Kurt Busch secured six poles, seven Top 5 finishes, and 12 Top 10 finishes, but ended the season 16th in the standings.
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Kurt Busch made his Busch Series debut for Penske in the No 39 Dodge at Texas, winning in his first race.
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Kurt Busch added a second win at Watkins Glen by holding off Robby Gordon on the final lap.
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Kurt Busch compared the battle to his 2003 Darlington finish against Ricky Craven, where he lost by just an inch.
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Additionally, Kurt Busch competed in four more Kurt Busch Series races, achieving two Top 5 finishes and three Top 10 finishes.
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On June 29,2008, Kurt Busch broke a 29-race winless streak with a rain-shortened victory at New Hampshire, his first win since Michigan in 2007 and 18th career win.
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Kurt Busch began his 2009 season at the Daytona 500, where he was involved in a wreck on lap 124 when Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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Kurt Busch spun into the grass with eight other drivers, including his brother Kyle.
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Kurt Busch dominated the 2009 Kobalt Tools 500, leading 235 of 325 laps and securing his 19th Sprint Cup victory.
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Kurt Busch earned another victory at the 2009 Dickies 500 after Kyle ran out of fuel with two laps to go.
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On May 22,2010, Kurt Busch won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and followed it with a victory in the Coca-Cola 600, becoming just the seventh driver to win both in the same year.
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Kurt Busch made the Chase, seeded fifth in points, and finished an impressive seventh at Daytona in the Coke Zero 400 despite three wrecks in the final 12 laps.
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Kurt Busch won his first Budweiser Shootout after Denny Hamlin went below the yellow line at Daytona, followed by a victory in the Gatorade Duel 1.
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Kurt Busch won the pole and dominated the race at Kansas by leading 152 laps, but a late fuel pickup issue cost him a victory, which went to his teammate Brad Keselowski.
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However, the exchange took a turn when Kurt Busch shouted expletives and physically confronted Menzer, prompting Penske team members to restrain him.
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Kurt Busch later apologized to both Menzer and Fryer for his conduct.
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At the start of the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kurt Busch's team faced a delay in rolling their car to pit road due to a pre-race inspection issue.
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Kurt Busch declined an offer from Richard Petty Motorsports and instead opted for an early-season agreement to drive the No 51 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season.
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Kurt Busch explored potential opportunities with Michael Waltrip Racing, Furniture Row Racing, and Richard Childress Racing.
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Additionally, Kurt Busch competed in a limited Nationwide Series schedule with Phoenix Racing.
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At the 2012 Aaron's 499 at Talladega, Kurt Busch paid tribute to the 2006 racing comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby by running his No 51 car in the paint scheme of Ricky Bobby's No 62 "ME" Cougar car from the film.
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Kurt Busch spent months securing permission from Sony, Will Ferrell, and other rights holders to use the design.
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Kurt Busch's car performed well, running near the front and leading a few laps.
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At Darlington, Kurt Busch collided with Ryan Newman, ending both drivers' races.
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Kurt Busch was fined 50,000 and placed on a five-race probation, while Newman received no penalty.
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Kurt Busch ultimately finished 21st, the last car on the lead lap.
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On June 4,2012, Kurt Busch clashed with Justin Allgaier during the Nationwide event at Dover.
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Later, in an interview with reporter Bob Pockrass, Kurt Busch was asked about his probation.
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On July 6,2012, Kurt Busch won the Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona, overtaking Austin Dillon on the final lap.
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Kurt Busch led early and midway through the race but spun out after contact with Jamie McMurray.
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Kurt Busch was parked by NASCAR after driving away from safety officials who were trying to assist him, refusing to stop his car despite NASCAR's instructions.
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On September 24,2012, it was announced that Kurt Busch would drive the No 78 Chevrolet SS for Furniture Row Racing in the 2013 season, replacing Regan Smith.
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Kurt Busch made his debut for the team at the 2012 Bank of America 500, finishing 21st.
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Kurt Busch followed that with a 25th-place finish at Kansas.
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The 2013 season for Kurt Busch began similarly to 2012, as he joined a new team, Furniture Row Racing.
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However, Kurt Busch showed notable improvement over his challenging 2012 season, both individually and with FRR.
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Kurt Busch's start to the year was rough, as he crashed during the Sprint Unlimited on lap 14, finishing 13th.
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Kurt Busch placed fifth in the Budweiser Duel but struggled with handling issues, leading to a 28th-place finish in the Daytona 500, five laps down.
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At Fontana, Kurt Busch briefly went a lap down due to a penalty for speeding during green-flag pit stops but rallied in the final laps to finish third, behind his brother Kyle and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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At Richmond, Kurt Busch led for 36 laps and was a contender for the win.
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Kurt Busch finished ninth and stated he didn't intentionally hit Stewart and was surprised by Stewart's retaliation.
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At Talladega, Kurt Busch led two laps and was in the top ten when he was caught in a massive wreck on lap 182.
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At Darlington, Kurt Busch earned his first pole of the season and led 69 of the first 80 laps.
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At the Coca-Cola 600 a week later, Kurt Busch started second, on the outside of the front row.
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Kurt Busch earned a 12th-place finish at Dover and a seventh-place result at Pocono.
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At Sonoma, Kurt Busch secured his next top-five finish with a fourth-place result, after leading 15 laps and recovering from a lap down following two speeding penalties on pit road.
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At Kentucky, Kurt Busch was involved in a controversy on lap 48 when he caused a seven-car wreck.
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Kurt Busch went down to the apron, then came back up and turned Keselowski into turn 1, triggering a crash that involved Greg Biffle, Travis Kvapil, and Dave Blaney.
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Kurt Busch finished sixth and followed that with another sixth-place finish at the Coke Zero 400, marking Furniture Row Racing's first-ever streak of three consecutive top-ten finishes.
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However, at Loudon the next week, Kurt Busch started second, led 102 laps, but was turned and wrecked by Matt Kenseth, finishing 31st.
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Kurt Busch then earned a ninth-place finish at Watkins Glen.
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Back at Michigan, Kurt Busch started on the outside of the front row, led 43 laps, and finished third, moving up to ninth in the driver points standings.
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Kurt Busch rebounded in the next two weeks, finishing fourth at Atlanta.
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At Chicagoland, Kurt Busch began the Chase with a fourth-place finish.
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Kurt Busch then finished 13th at New Hampshire and 21st at Dover after pitting for a loose wheel.
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At Kansas, Kurt Busch had to start at the rear of the field due to a practice crash that required a backup car.
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In 2013, Kurt Busch was scheduled to drive the No 1 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing in the Nationwide Series, with plans to compete in sixteen events.
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Kurt Busch wrecked at Daytona but achieved top-ten finishes at Talladega and in the second race at Daytona.
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Kurt Busch had a breakout performance for his new team at Fontana.
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Kurt Busch took the lead late in the race after Jimmie Johnson blew a tire with seven laps to go.
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At Darlington, with just three laps to go and running in the top five, Kurt Busch was tapped from behind by Clint Bowyer, causing him to spin and crash head-on into a barrier.
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At the 2014 Coca-Cola 600, Kurt Busch attempted to complete all 1,100 miles of the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
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Kurt Busch consistently ran in the top five throughout the day and secured a third-place finish, his best result since winning at Martinsville.
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Kurt Busch secured top-five finishes at both Pocono and Watkins Glen.
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Kurt Busch began his 2015 season on a rough note during the Sprint Unlimited, where he was involved in two multi-car accidents.
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However, Kurt Busch accidentally drove below the yellow line, which improved his position.
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On February 20,2015, NASCAR indefinitely suspended Kurt Busch following a Delaware family court's finding that it was "more likely than not" he had abused his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll.
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Kurt Busch applied for reinstatement ten days after the Daytona 500 and began participating in NASCAR's reinstatement program.
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Kurt Busch was cleared to race again, starting with the CampingWorld.
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Kurt Busch was briefly penalized for changing lanes before a restart, but 20 laps later, officials rescinded the penalty.
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Kurt Busch then dominated at Richmond, where he battled Jamie McMurray for the win in the final 100 laps.
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Kurt Busch pulled away to claim his first victory of the season.
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Kurt Busch began the 2016 season with a 10th-place finish in the Daytona 500 and two consecutive pole wins at Atlanta and Las Vegas.
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However, he received the pole at Atlanta due to his brother Kyle Kurt Busch's time being disqualified after failing post-qualifying inspection.
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Kurt Busch had a consistent season, setting a record for the most consecutive lead-lap finishes to start the year.
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Kurt Busch's streak ended with his first DNF at Bristol after contact with Joey Logano.
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Kurt Busch's season started with a crash in the Advance Auto Parts Clash after Jimmie Johnson spun.
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However, Kurt Busch struggled for the rest of the year, finishing 14th in the standings with 6 Top-5s, 14 Top-10s, and 7 DNFs.
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Kurt Busch started the season strong with pole positions at Texas, Michigan, and New Hampshire.
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Kurt Busch won his first race in 58 races at Bristol night race, securing a spot in the 2018 Playoffs.
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Kurt Busch signed a one-year deal, leading many to believe that this would be his final full-time season in NASCAR.
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Kurt Busch secured his first win with Chip Ganassi Racing at Kentucky, defeating Kyle on the final restart.
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On November 2,2019, CGR confirmed Kurt Busch would stay with the No 1 team for at least two more years.
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Kurt Busch made the 2020 playoffs without a victory, relying on consistency with four top-five finishes and 14 top-10 finishes.
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Kurt Busch secured his first win of the season, and 32nd career victory, at Las Vegas, which earned him a spot in the Round of 8.
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Kurt Busch started 2021 with 1 top-five and 2 top-10 finishes in the first three races, but his results declined until a 6th-place finish at Sonoma in race 16, sparking a streak of three consecutive top-eight finishes.
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Kurt Busch was eliminated in the Round of 16 at Bristol and finished the season 11th in points.
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Kurt Busch kicked off the season with a 19th-place finish in the Daytona 500.
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At the Pocono race, Kurt Busch was not cleared medically after a qualifying crash and missed the last five races of the regular season.
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However, on August 26,2023, Kurt Busch confirmed his retirement from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition.
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Kurt Busch began training in January 2011 under veteran NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson and earned his NHRA Pro Stock competition license.
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Kurt Busch made his drag racing debut on March 10,2011, at the 42nd annual Tire Kingdom Gatornationals in Gainesville.
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Kurt Busch became only the fourth driver to transition from NASCAR to NHRA, joining Tony Stewart, Richard Petty, and John Andretti.
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In 2003, during CART's pre-season test at Sebring International Raceway, Kurt Busch tested a Champ Car for three-time CART champion Bobby Rahal.
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Kurt Busch drove a car originally fielded for Michel Jourdain Jr.
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Kurt Busch did not comment on whether he was preparing to race in the Indianapolis 500.
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Kurt Busch planned to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, performing the rare feat of double duty.
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On October 21,2014, Kurt Busch announced that he would compete in the 2014 Race of Champions for Team USA, alongside IndyCar's Ryan Hunter-Reay.
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Kurt Busch participated in the 2017 Race of Champions, joining his brother Kyle Busch for Team USA NASCAR.
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On 14 January 2025, Kurt Busch announced he had been medically cleared to return to racing and would compete in the 2025 Race of Champions, his first race since his 2022 concussion.
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Kurt Busch was born to Thomas and Gaye Kurt Busch in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Kurt Busch got engaged to Eva Bryan at the 2005 Hungarian Grand Prix and married her on July 27,2006.
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Kurt Busch is an avid baseball fan with the goal of visiting every ballpark nationwide.
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In November 2005, Kurt Busch was cited for reckless driving after being pulled over near Phoenix Raceway on suspicion of DUI.
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Kurt Busch was sentenced to 50 hours of community service, which he was required to complete within a year.
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Kurt Busch received a 60-day jail sentence, which was suspended for 12 months, and 12 months of unsupervised probation.
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Kurt Busch was ordered to complete 24 hours of community service, pay a community service fee, and surrender his driver's license.