The driver of the No.45 Toyota for 23XI Racing has kicked off his offseason in style. Kurt Busch headed to Florida and won the 2.4 Hours of LeMullets at the Freedom Factory.
The 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion partnered with fellow Monster Energy athlete Vaughn Gittin Jr. and faced off against a stacked field of drivers. The two men battled on the track with Parker Kligerman, Alex Bowman, Rob Hoonigan, Matt from Demolition Ranch, and Mike Finnegan among others and came out victorious.
Busch and Gittin took the checkered flag after following the lead set by such drivers as Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Alex Bowman. Their Monster Energy Ford Crown Victoria was in second place after taking the white flag, but it did not remain in this position. Busch hit the No. 7 of Kevin Smith and Taylor Ray from behind, knocking it off course. The Crown Victoria ended up in the grass while Busch raced his way to the win.
The 2.4 Hours of LeMullets Did Not Simply Feature Oval Racing
The Freedom Factory track where the 2.4 Hours of LeMullets took place is a traditional oval in Florida. However, the drivers didn’t simply make left turns while fighting for the prestigious win.
Cleetus McFarland, the prolific YouTuber and owner of the Freedom Factory, added some flair to the midpoint of each lap. The drivers had to take an inside turn that resembled part of the Charlotte Roval or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
This added section of the track served as the perfect location for drivers to make passes. Several used their Ford Crown Victoria sedans equipped with Nitto NT555 G2 tires and nitrous to jockey for position or even shove each other out of the way, prompting cheers from the crowd.
Busch Brought the ‘Swagger’ That He Will Use During the 2022 Cup Series Season
GettyKurt Busch prepares for a race at Pocono Raceway.
The win in the 2.4 Hours of LeMullets was nothing new for NASCAR fans. They have watched Busch reach Victory Lane in a variety of ways throughout his career. This list includes a 2019 overtime battle against his brother Kyle at Kentucky where they made contact multiple times in overtime before crossing the start-finish line.
A key factor in these wins was Busch’s swagger. He headed to the track each time with plenty of confidence in his abilities and his team and used it to rack up wins and trophies. Now he will bring that same swagger to 23XI Racing while partnering with Bubba Wallace.
“I was hired as a driver,” Busch told media members during a two-day Next Gen test at Charlotte Motor Speedway, transcript courtesy of NBC Sports. “My duties are to drive the 45 car with the best knowledge and smarts and swagger that I can and to be consistent and find things that a veteran is supposed to find within a new car.
“At the same time, there are young engineers, young crew members that are eager to learn. All the knowledge that I have in certain areas I would love to transfer (to them). Then with Bubba, we know we want him to jump into the program with a mindset to win and to be there at another level next year. It’s already started to begin on that side of it.”
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