I see we’ve reached the “Wow, Kurt Busch won, didn’t see that one coming” portion of the NASCAR calendar.
Frankly, it’s a little early this year, too! Kurt usually doesn’t check in until around July.
But, I guess that’s what happens when you drive for Michael Jordan … in a car with the iconic Jordan brand shoes plastered on the front.
“I didn’t want to have to make a phone call to MJ afterwards on why we did not win,” Busch said after the race. “When I switched from Roush to Penske we won in our sixth race together. When I switched over to SHR, I think it was, again, like our sixth race, won at Martinsville.
“This one took a little bit, but here we are. We’re winners. It’s a process. The Ganassi car, we won mid-summer when I switched to them. Early in my career it was all about me, me, me, and now I’ve understood this is a team, and every element is super important.”
Preach, Kurt!
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. praises Kurt Busch’s “rare” quality
Before we dive into Kansas, let’s pay attention for a second to what Kurt just said.
Actually, let’s let Dale Earnhardt Jr. have a shot at it, first, through Twitter.
“@KurtBusch takes bad teams and makes them better,” Junior tweeted Sunday. “He takes teams that didn’t even exist last year and makes them better. It’s a rare quality even some of NASCAR’s greats didn’t possess.”
Big statement, Dale. But, it’s probably true.
Busch has won everywhere he’s gone: The championship back in 2004 with Jack Roush; 10 races with Penske from 2006-11; six more times with Stewart-Haas and then one race per year from 2019-21 with Chip Ganassi.
Let’s be honest, though … this one was the most impressive.
Not only did Busch put 23XI Racing in Victory Lane for just the second time, it took him just 13 races to do so and he did it at a 1.5-mile track.
Don’t know if y’all have been paying attention or not, but, um, those are the tracks that separate the contenders from the pretenders.
Michael Jordan back in NASCAR Victory Lane
All right, Michael. Welcome to our weekly debrief! The mic is all yours.
“Kurt ran a great race today and I’m so happy for him, the 45 crew and the entire 23XI Racing team,” Jordan said in a statement. “This win showed why Kurt is a champion and why we brought him on board.”
Eh. Little too PC for my liking, MJ. We like to let it rip around these part. You’ll learn!
Chase Elliott gets stuck, gets angry, goes home
In fact, let’s ask Clyde to give you your first lesson …
“Biggest (expletive) joke of my life,” Chase Elliott radioed to his team after his tire exploded, his car went spinning, and, when the dust settled, he found himself stuck in the grass.
The No. 9 Chevy wouldn’t be alone for long, though. A few minutes later, a tow-truck came to the rescue to promptly push Chase back onto the track, only to also get stuck in the grass as well.
“This is the stupidest (expletive),” Chase continued.
NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver also said plenty of … unflattering … things about the Next Gen car during his time of reflection on the infield grass, and ultimately finished 29th for his worst showing of the year.
For what it’s worth … losing three laps because your car for some reason won’t drive with a flat tire, is stuck in the grass, and then remains stuck because the wrecker is also stuck, seems a little silly to me.
But hey, NASCAR always caters to Chase! He’s the golden boy! At least that’s what a lot of angry fans tell me each week.
Joey Logano to William Byron: “I’ll keep going”
While Chase was stuck in the grass, teammate William Byron was stuck in a stare-down with best friend Joey Logano.
“If he wants to keep going back and forth, I’ll keep swinging,” Logano told Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass when asked if he expected any retaliation from Byron going forward.
“I don’t think that’s a good play for him in the long run … he can keep going. But I can promise you I’ll keep going and I’ll go bigger every time.”
Don’t blink, Billy!
This one doesn’t seem like it’s over quite yet, but it may go on a hold here for a few weeks. I don’t think Byron’s gonna waste his retaliation at the All-Star race, but we’ve got the two road courses coming up.
Maybe he can ask Kevin Harvick for some tips?
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Chase Elliott goes nuts, Busch has ‘rare’ trait and Logano warns Byron