Getty Kurt Busch received a playoff waiver.
The 2004 Cup Series champion is about to showcase a new look during the July 17 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET, USA Network). Kurt Busch will take on the 1.058-mile track with SiriusXM as his primary partner.
Busch showcased the new look on July 14. He tweeted out multiple photos showing that the. No. 45 Toyota of 23XI Racing will have a black base with blue accents and massive, white SiriusXM logos on the sides and the hood. Monster Energy, McDonald’s, and Embrace Home Loans will all serve as associate partners for the Cup Series race.
The 45 has a whole new look. Excited to have @SIRIUSXM on board this weekend at the magic mile!
Busch will showcase this scheme at a track where he has previous success. Though he knows all too well how difficult it can be to navigate considering that he has made 38 of his 775 career Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“It’s mainly the corner entry and the braking zones at New Hampshire,” Busch explained in a release from the track. “And then, turn three seems to get rougher and rougher each year, just with settling or track aging. It makes it a challenge to carve through there. If you get that right, that usually leads to a good day.”
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Busch Will Have Multiple Races With SiriusXM
GettyKurt Busch will have multiple races with SiriusXM.
The black and blue scheme is one that fans have anticipated since early February. This is when SiriusXM issued a press release and announced that both Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell would partner with the company for multiple races in 2022.
According to the initial announcement, Bell would reunite with SiriusXM for five races during the 2022 season. This included the Busch Light Clash on February 6, as well as trips to Martinsville Speedway (April 9), Darlington Raceway (May 8), Michigan International Speedway (7), and Talladega Superspeedway (October 2).
The 2022 season marked the first time that Busch has partnered with SiriusXM. The release noted that he would have two races on his schedule, starting with the trip to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Busch would also run a SiriusXM scheme during the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (September 4).
Busch Can Make a Historic Move at the Magic Mile
The race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be Busch’s 39th, and he will use the opportunity to make a historic move. He will pursue his fourth win at the 1.058-mile track and his first since the 2008 season.
Busch is currently in a tie with two other active Cup Series drivers for the second-most wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin also both have three wins at the Magic Mile. Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, and Jimmie Johnson also secured three wins each.
If Busch can win the Cup Series race, he will move into a tie with Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick for the most all-time. Burton first reached Victory Lane at NHMS during the 1997 season. He then added wins in 1998, 1999, and 2000. Harvick, for comparison, posted wins in 2006, 2016, 2018, and 2019. Now Busch will have an opportunity to tie them.
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