“I Love It and I Hate It”- Denny Hamlin Discloses Kurt Busch’s Future With Michael Jordan’s $150 Million NASCAR Team After Heartbreaking Announcement

After a rather violent race at Daytona, former 23XI Racing and 2004 Cup Series champion, Kurt Busch dropped a bomb as he announced his retirement. The older Busch who stepped away from the track following a vicious crash at Pocono in 2022 finally addressed the community amidst his return rumors.

While the NASCAR community is still processing the horrific wrecks at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, 23XI Racing co-owner and Michael Jordan’s partner, Denny Hamlin spoke his mind about Busch’s premature retirement from the sport.

Speaking on his popular Action Detrimental podcast, Hamlin did not shy away from expressing his thoughts as the veteran revealed Busch’s new role at 23XI Racing.

Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing partner reveals the bitter truth about Kurt Busch’s retirement

Kyle Busch‘s older brother, Kurt Busch, was indeed a force to be reckoned with on the track. With more than 776 Cup, 30 Xfinity, and 28 Truck Series races over a period of 23 years. If that stats looks dull, over his 2-decade long career in NASCAR he had over 28 poles and 34 race wins with five different race teams.

Now that’s something you don’t see very often. His ability to adapt to and his persistence is still talked about in the community. Unfortunately for the elder Busch, a qualifying run gone wrong at Pocono Raceway ended his career after the driver developed concussive symptoms that prompted him to take a break.

Midway into the turn, he slipped straight into the wall, taking the full impact of the crash directly to his head. With the driver suffering major head trauma, Busch had no other choice but to step away from the game, hoping for a grand return. To his and his fans’ disappointment, a few days the driver officially announced his retirement shortly after the Daytona race.

Reflecting on his former driver’s premature retirement, Hamlin quoted the obvious truth, saying, “I love it and hate it for Kurt, you know, certainly he had his career cut short, shorter than what he wanted for sure.” Further, the JGR driver revealed what his team has in store for the champion.

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“Really happy for him though to you know be able to announce this and you know kind of get the pressure of, ‘Are you going to come back, are you going to come back?’ off of his shoulders, he’s been a great asset to 23XI(Racing) as you know. He’s still been working with the team this year, he’ll be working next year so we have him under contract still to be our, CFO,” said the 42-year-old. 

Kurt Busch’s announcement and his new role at 23 XI Racing

Having an experienced veteran of the sport isn’t something you can buy off the market. And Denny Hamlin and his partner, the NBA great, Michael Jordan, know it better than anyone else. With the team fielding 2 potent young drivers and a 150 million dollar business to look after, the need for an experienced mentor has taken precedence, prompting the team management to retain Busch as Chief Funding Director of the team.

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Reflecting on the veteran’s significance in the team, Hamlin took charge, saying, “he‘s been a valuable asset, he’s been around the race track, you’ll see him still here and there and interacting a lot with our cup drivers.”

He then added, “And it’s valuable because he’s a great manager of races. He’s the veteran who can help our young guys continue to help with their learning curve.” 

The scene was emotional for ardent fans as Kurt Busch shared a montage of his moments as he thanked everyone. “Thank you to everyone who helped me accomplish my dream.”