Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American retired professional stock car racing driver. He is best known for competing in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2000 to 2022, last driving the number 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. Busch is the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion and the 2017 Daytona 500 winner. He is the brother of the late Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion.
Busch began his NASCAR Cup Series career in 2000, driving for teams including 23XI Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, Stewart–Haas Racing, Furniture Row Racing, Phoenix Racing, Penske Racing, and Roush Racing. He has won 34 Cup races and claimed the championship in the inaugural "Chase for the Cup" points format. In 2006, he joined an elite group of 36 drivers to win races in all three of NASCAR's top divisions: the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Camping World Truck Series. Early in his career, Busch gained attention for his aggressive driving and clashes with competitors, team members, and the media. Over time, he became known for helping his teams enhance their programs.
Beyond stock car racing, Busch has competed in the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the National Hot Rod Association. In 2023, he was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers. He was also elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for their Class of 2026 in his first year of eligibility.
Busch began his racing career at age 14 in a Dwarf car at Pahrump Valley Speedway, introduced to the sport by his father. He also competed in IMCA Modified racing early in his career.
Busch's big break came under unfortunate circumstances when Chris Trickle, a promising driver, was critically injured in an unsolved shooting and later died. Trickle's No. 70 team, sponsored by Star Nursery, sought a replacement driver, giving Busch the opportunity to step in. He gained national attention in the 1997 Winter Heat Series at Tucson Speedway, competing against notable drivers like Ron Hornaday Jr., Matt Crafton, Greg Biffle, and Kevin Harvick.
In 1998, Busch won Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series, and went on to secure the series championship in 1999. His success earned him a spot in the Roush Racing "Gong Show", where he won a Craftsman Truck Series ride. Driving the No. 99 Ford F-150, Busch achieved four victories, finished second in the championship standings to teammate Greg Biffle, and was named Rookie of the Year.
Roush Racing announced during the 2000 season that Busch would bypass the Busch Series for the Winston Cup Series for 2001, replacing Chad Little in the No. 97 Ford. Little was released early, allowing Busch to take over the No. 97 John Deere Ford at Dover in September 2000. Busch competed in seven of the final eight races that season, with Jeff Hammond as his crew chief, while Little drove at Talladega. Busch's best finish during this stint was thirteenth at Charlotte.
Busch began the 2001 season driving an unsponsored car after John Deere ended its sponsorship of the No. 97 car following 2000. Later that year, Roush Racing secured a multi-year deal with Rubbermaid, with its Sharpie marker brand becoming Busch's primary sponsor. Busch recorded three Top 5 finishes and six Top 10 finishes during the season. In the 2001 Daytona 500, Busch had a notable encounter with Dale Earnhardt. On lap 85, the two made door-to-door contact, prompting Earnhardt to flash Busch a middle-finger gesture at 185 mph (298 km/h). The moment, captured by Fox Sports replay cameras, led broadcaster Mike Joy to comment, "Kurt, you're number one." Reflecting on the incident, Busch described it as his only on-track interaction with Earnhardt, who died in a crash on the race's final lap. Up until Busch's final race in 2022, he remained the last active driver to have raced against Earnhardt in the Cup Series.
Busch secured his best finish of the season with a 3rd-place result at the spring Talladega race, just three weeks after earning his first career top-five at Texas (fourth). He also claimed a fifth-place finish in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. However, his season was marred by misfortune, particularly in the second half. At the Southern 500 in Darlington, he led 74 laps before crashing out. At Martinsville, he led 38 laps but suffered a cut tire in heavy traffic, causing significant damage. At Rockingham, overheating issues hindered his performance despite leading 45 laps. He also failed to qualify for the penultimate race in Atlanta. Busch wrapped up the season with a 21st-place finish at the postponed race in New Hampshire, ending 27th in points and second to Kevin Harvick in the Rookie of the Year standings.
The 2002 season marked Busch's breakout year in the Winston Cup Series. He secured his first victory at the Food City 500 in Bristol, outdueling Jimmy Spencer on worn tires. Busch went on to win at Martinsville in October, Atlanta the following week, and the season finale at Homestead, totaling four wins. He also achieved twelve top-five finishes, twenty top-ten finishes, and one pole position, finishing third in the final points standings and US$5,105,394 in prize money. Busch dominated the end of the season, winning three of the final five races and leading laps in the other two. He became the first driver in NASCAR history to win the most races in his first winning season, a record later matched by Carl Edwards in 2005.
Busch had a mixed season in 2003. He secured four wins, including a season sweep at Bristol, becoming the first driver to achieve this since Rusty Wallace in 2000. Despite these victories, inconsistent performances later in the year caused him to fall out of the top ten in points, finishing 11th overall with nine Top 5 finishes and 14 Top 10s. However, he earned over US$5 million for the season. Busch also played a role in NASCAR history during the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington on March 16. In the closing laps, he and Ricky Craven battled intensely for the lead, both wrestling with loose cars. Busch held the lead entering the final corner, but Craven drew nearly even exiting Turn 4. The two cars repeatedly made contact as they raced to the finish line. Craven edged Busch by just .002 seconds, marking the closest finish in NASCAR history at the time.
In 2004, Busch won three races, earned two poles, and captured the inaugural NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship, the first season to feature "The Chase for the Championship". He achieved his fourth consecutive win at Bristol by taking the Food City 500 in March, marking his third straight victory in that event. Busch also became the second driver to sweep both races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in a single season. However, the championship almost slipped away during the final race at Homestead. On lap 93, Busch reported a flat right-front tire and entered the access road leading to pit road. As he approached the pits, the wheel came off his car, causing him to veer sharply left and narrowly avoid hitting the yellow barrels at the pit road entrance. If he had struck the barrels, his championship hopes would have been over. The loose wheel brought out a caution, but Busch recovered, regained his position, and secured the title. He ended the season with ten top-five finishes and 21 top-ten finishes.
In 2005, midway through the season, Busch announced that he would be leaving Roush Racing at the end of the year to replace Rusty Wallace in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge for Penske Racing South. Initially, Roush was upset with Busch's decision, but the situation changed when Chip Ganassi Racing revealed that Jamie McMurray wanted to join Roush Racing in 2006. As a result, Roush agreed to release Busch. Although Busch had asked team owner Jack Roush to let him out of his contract at the end of 2005, Roush initially refused. However, when it became clear that Busch had already signed a contract with Roger Penske, Roush decided to let him go. Busch's final race with Roush Racing was at Texas, after which he was sidelined for the last two races of the season due to a NASCAR suspension following an incident with the police. Busch had a strong 2005 season, winning three races, earning nine top-five finishes, and eighteen top-ten finishes in 34 races. He also posted an average finish of 15.3, which helped him finish tenth in the final points standings.