Kurt Busch Gives an Insight on Kyle Busch’s Rejected Dream Swooped by Rick Hendrick’s Driver After His Deal With McLaren

Amidst all the interesting developments this year, from NASCAR’s debut Le Mans run to the organization’s first-ever street race that captivated the community, there’s one specific news that downed the NASCAR nation in sorrow. Yes, we are talking about Kurt Busch’s premature retirement from the sport.

The 2004 Cup Series and Kyle Busch’s elder brother was a man of many talents. His in-depth knowledge of the sport and racing dynamics not only did him wonders in NASCAR but he even made a mark in IndyCar, finishing the iconic Indy500 6th.

Months after the young Busch got his dreams squashed with Rick Hendrick’s HMS driver taking the seat, his brother Kurt Busch details the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that he lived, giving the community valuable insights into the world of IndyCar.

Elder Busch explains the “double duty” months after Kyle Busch faced rejection

Now, NASCAR fans are quite familiar with the Coca-Cola 600 held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 600-mile race is not just the organization’s crown jewel event but one of the most grueling events in the motorsports world. The changing track conditions as the race transitions into night from day, along with the chaotic and frantic pace of the field are certainly some of the most intimidating factors that keep drivers on their toes.

Focus, presence of mind, and determination are paramount in such mentally demanding and wearying races. Now add another 500 miles to the equation and we get the notorious “Double.” 1,100 miles of long tarmac await drivers who attempt to conquer both the IndyCar and NASCAR worlds on the same day.

In fact, the race is so demanding that not many have done anything significant in the Memorial Day feat. First, the racer will have to complete 500 miles at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a stupendously fast IndyCar in the early afternoon then fly over to Charlotte in the evening to take on NASCAR’s iteration of a tough endurance race. The great Tony Stewart pulled the “double duty” twice in 1999 and 2001, becoming the only driver in history to finish on the lead lap of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

While Kyle Busch missed his double-decker with Kyle Larson of HMS getting the seat in 2024 with Arrow McLaren, the elder Busch was fortunate enough to take on the challenge and prove his mettle as a racer. Speaking on the Kenny Conversation, he detailed the hardships and the stringent routine required to take on the challenge elaborately.

He said, “It was a journey I mean, January 1 I didn’t have a contract but mentally I went to work and I would run to the gym which was 3 miles, I would go and workout with the instructor, I did different martial arts movements, I did different pilates, yoga I just wanted to change my game in the motorsports.” 

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He then reiterated how important is to have a team that can set you up for the challenging 1,100 miles of pure racing. He added, “I wanted to challenge myself with something new where I thought I could do well. I thought I could finish 15th, was my goal, I can go to Indy and I can beat half of those guys and I got the ride with Andretti Autosport, that contract came together in April and so to have quality teams that’s the number 1 thing to do is I had a SHR team and I had Andretti Autosport team to help me do the double, you know what I’m saying?” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Kyle Busch’s rollercoaster ride at Talladega 

Busch recalls his unforgettable Indy rookie test

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For one, race car drivers are indeed a different breed. Going balls to walls at triple-digit speed where even one miscalculation, one tiny turn of the steering wheel can spell disaster, so race car drivers really need to be on the edge. Especially when you reach speeds of around 231 miles per hour. Speaking to the dirt racing pundit, Kenny Wallace, Busch explains the technicalities of racing in an Indycar during his rookie test run in Indy.

Explaining the whole sequence with Michael Andretti by his side, the 45-year-old’s eyes light up as he recalls getting his car up to speed at Indy. He said, “So you time it to where you go through turn 4 wide open then you still lift on the straightaway and then you’re wide open through the corners, right? And then you got to lift a little bit before the next corner so he says go through turn 2 wide open and then go into 3 and you’re going to lift a little bit on the straightaway but by the time you go through 4 you got to hold it wide open through 4, hit turn 1, hit turn 2, hit turn 3 so it is this  you know getting up to speed.” 

He later hilariously details his thoughts coming into the toughest corner (turn 1), saying, “I had this long conversation with myself down the front straightaway and I’m doing 217(miles per hour), I’m like, you ready? You guys ready? Oh wait, the corner’s here, I got to go.” Wallace then goes for a chuckle as Busch paints a vivid picture of the whole track with its notorious turns and how the driver managed through it to settle things down.

Busch finished the Indy race sixth in his first-ever IndyCar race but went to suffer a major engine failure that got him out of the Coke 600.