Twenty-six years after Kurt Busch drove one of the most important trucks of his career into Victory Lane, it’s coming home.
Busch purchased his former No. 99 Exide Batteries Ford F-150 for $110,000 at the Mecum auction in Nashville, reuniting the NASCAR champion with a truck from his breakout 2000 Craftsman Truck Series season.
This isn’t simply a restored replica or a truck carrying a familiar paint scheme. The Ford, identified as chassis B061/CT12, is the actual truck Busch says he drove to victory at Dover Motor Speedway in September 2000.
Busch celebrated getting it back with a fitting message.
“Reunited with an old friend. So excited to get this winning truck back. 26 years ago, this truck and I @rfkracing won @Doverspeedway in Sept 2000. Not many have original paint and airbrush detail. Headed to @roushyates next to freshen up the motor.”
And Busch apparently has plans for his old friend beyond putting it on display.
Kurt Busch Buys Back Truck From Breakout 2000 Season
Busch’s No. 99 was among a collection of former Roush race cars and other vehicles offered at the Mecum auction in Nashville.
The final price for Busch’s 2000 Ford F-150 was $110,000, according to the reported sale results.
But the history attached to the truck makes the reunion particularly meaningful.
Busch arrived on NASCAR’s national scene with Roush Racing in 2000 and wasted little time establishing himself as one of the sport’s rising stars. He won four times during his rookie Truck Series campaign and finished second in the championship standings.
One of those victories came at Dover in September.
More than a quarter-century later, Busch now has that winning truck back in his possession.
The No. 99 still carries its distinctive Exide Batteries colors, and Busch pointed out another piece of its history that has survived the years: its original paint and airbrush work.
Kurt burst into the national spotlight that year, winning four times en route to second in points and Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors. By the end
He isn’t planning to leave everything untouched, however. Busch said the truck is headed to Roush Yates Engines to have its motor freshened up.
For a driver who has spent decades around race cars, the decision to put the truck back in the hands of Roush Yates adds another fitting layer to the reunion.
No. 99 Helped Launch Kurt Busch’s NASCAR Career
The 2000 season represented the beginning of Busch’s rapid rise through NASCAR.
Busch earned four victories during his first full Truck Series campaign, finished runner-up in the standings and was named the series’ Rookie of the Year.
Before that season was even over, Busch had already reached NASCAR’s highest level. Roush moved him into the Cup Series, beginning a career that would eventually include a championship and victories in some of NASCAR’s biggest races.
That makes the No. 99 more than another piece of memorabilia from Busch’s past.
It represents the period when his career accelerated from promising prospect to NASCAR Cup Series driver, and Busch knows exactly what this particular chassis accomplished along the way.
Now, after changing hands and surviving more than two decades with much of its original appearance intact, the Dover-winning Ford is back with the person who drove it there.
“Reunited with an old friend,” Busch wrote.
This time, the reunion cost $110,000.
Kurt Busch Pays $110,000 to Reunite With Race-Winning NASCAR Truck