Getty Kurt Busch (right) will work with a new spotter during the 2022 season.
The Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan co-owned team has just made a significant move for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. 23XI Racing has brought in veteran spotter Jason Jarrett to work with Kurt Busch on the No. 45 team.
Racin’ Boys provided the scoop during the trip to Nashville, Tenn., for the NASCAR Awards banquet. Insider Lee Spencer confirmed that Jarrett will work with Busch for the first time and learned that the two NASCAR veterans previously partnered during the Next Gen test at Charlotte Motor Speedway on November 17-18. Busch used this two-day session to debut the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD.
Jarrett, the son of Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and the grandson of Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett, has been a spotter since 2005. He has spent the past nine seasons working with Ryan Newman, resulting in two trips to Victory Lane.
Prior to his work as a spotter, Jarrett competed in both the Busch (Xfinity) Series and Cup Series. He made one Cup Series start for Yates Racing in 2003 — a 29th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway — and one for SCORE Motorsports in 2004. As an Xfinity Series driver, Jarrett suited up for multiple teams while making a total of 40 starts. His best run was a 16th-place finish at Hickory Motor Speedway for DAJ Racing in 1998.
Jarrett Will Join Forces With 2 Other Winning Drivers
GettyTate Fogleman (left) pulls the upset at Talladega Superspeedway.
The veteran driver will not simply focus on Busch and the 23XI Racing No. 45 entry. He will also join forces with two drivers that reached Victory Lane during the 2021 Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series seasons.
Jarrett will serve as the spotter for Tate Fogleman during the 2022 Truck Series season. The winner of the 2021 Talladega Superspeedway Truck Series race will join a new team in On Point Motorsports, and Jarrett will try to guide him to another win.
Additionally, Jarrett will work as a spotter for Josh Berry at JR Motorsports, who makes his return to the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro on a full-time basis. Berry won two races for JRM while running a part-time schedule in 2021 — Martinsville Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Now he will compete for a spot in the playoffs while working with Jarrett.
The No. 45 Team Is Ready for the 2022 Season
Now that 23XI Racing has a spotter in place, the No. 45 team is ready to compete in 2022. The entry already had a charter, crew chief, car chief, and race engineer. Adding the spotter set the stage for Busch’s first season with 23XI Racing.
23XI Racing announced multiple hires on November 16, setting the stage for the 2022 season. Chief among them was Billy Scott, who will serve as Busch’s crew chief as they move to a Toyota team. The duo previously worked together at Stewart-Haas Racing during the 2018 season and reached the playoffs after a win at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Along with Scott, David Bryant will make the move with Busch from Chip Ganassi Racing to 23XI Racing. He will serve as the car chief for the No. 45 Toyota Camry. Steve Wolfe will also move from CGR and take over as 23XI Racing’s assembly manager. Julian Pena, a current 23XI Racing employee, will take over as race engineer for the No. 45.
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23XI Racing Names Veteran Spotter for Kurt Busch’s No. 45