For the third consecutive week, Kurt Busch was not medically cleared to race, meaning he will miss Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Busch released a statement via social media that explained he is continuing to improve and can’t wait to get back to racing but is not yet cleared to return to competition. Busch suffered concussion-like symptoms after a qualifying crash on July 23 at Pocono Raceway, resulting in Ty Gibbs filling his role for the 23XI Racing team’s No. 45 entry at Pocono and the IMS Road Course.
Gibbs is on tap to drive the No. 45 again this weekend, looking to build off a pair of top-17 finishes in his first career premier series starts. Sunday’s test at Michigan will be his first on a traditional oval.
Though Busch will now miss his third race of 2022, he has been granted a waiver to compete for the championship if he qualifies for the 16-driver playoff field. In current playoff standing, he is locked in by virtue of his win in May at Kansas Speedway.
Busch will be evaluated further to determine if he is fit to race in next Sunday’s action at Richmond Raceway.