"A father figure to me": When Kurt Busch disclosed his heartfelt emotions for the guiding soul behind his NASCAR Cup Series title
Former NASCAR driver Kurt Busch clinched his maiden Cup Series win during his sophomore year in 2002, courtesy of his guiding soul, Jimmy Fenning. The veteran driver entered NASCAR's Premier Level as a rookie for Roush Racing in 2001, and the next season saw him sweep the victory lane four times.
Busch graduated to his rookie Cup Series season after bagging a second-place finish in the 2000 Truck Series season, fielding the #99 Ford for Jack Roush. He ran a handful of Cup races in the same year. In the 2001 season, Busch settled in 27th with no wins. However, that stat drastically changed in 2002, after his teammate Mark Martin's-then crew chief Jimmy Fenning's arrival.
Within a short time off working together, the duo quickly became a dominant force in NASCAR. Six races into his sophomore season, Kurt Busch, with Fenning's recipe to ace the race, bagged his career-first Cup win at the Bristol Motor Speedway. It's worth mentioning that before reigning supreme with Busch, Fenning's resume boasted 16 Cup wins with Martin and Bobby Allison.
Moving forward, Busch and Fenning's pairing truly reached it's pinnacle during the 2004 season, with the #97 Ford driver registering three wins, 10 top-5s, and 21 top-10 finishes, before lifting the Cup Series championship trophy for the first time.
The former NASCAR driver spoke highly of his championship-winning crew chief, claiming the latter as a "father figure" to him. He said (via The Athletic).
"It was a surprise; I was just told out of the blue that Jimmy Fennig was going to be my crew chief. The way Jimmy came in was like a father figure to me. … Jimmy gave me that father-figure Bill Belichick (NFL's New England Patriots former GM) type of feel and I just did whatever he said. If he told me to turn right at the end of Turn 1, I was going to do it. And that allowed my skills to develop as a racer because I got to focus solely on myself and to be able to develop under his mentorship.”
It took 48 races for Kurt Busch to savor the trip to the Cup Series victory lane for the first time.
"It’s time for a new journey": When Kurt Busch announced his exit from NASCAR racing
After driving under multiple team owners, Kurt Busch landed a deal with Michael Jordan's co-owned venture, 23XI Racing. The team began their Cup Series operations at the 2001 Daytona 500, with Bubba Wallace taming the #23 Toyota Camry. The next year saw Jordan's outfit add a second car and bring Busch on board in the #45 Toyota, now fielded by 2024 regular season champion Tyler Reddick.
The veteran driver completed 20 races for the team, collecting the Kansas win, five top-5s, and eighth top-10s. However, a major setback transpired during his 21st race weekend at the Pocono Raceway, critical enough to end his NASCAR career.
Kurt Busch was setting the stage during the qualifying at Pocono Raceway, but a fatal crash gave him a severe concussion. Because of the lingering effects of the unwanted turnaround, the Cup Series' playoff era's first champion announced his retirement. Busch said via NASCAR.
“As I transition out of the driver’s seat, I can’t help but feel incredibly blessed to have spent the amount of time I did as a driver in NASCAR, and I could never have imagined that growing up as a blue-collar kid from Las Vegas. So many people have been part of my journey. I want to thank the fans, my family, friends, sponsors, and team members."
He added:
"Thanks to everyone who has taught me the different things around the motorsports world, and also for those who have had to put up with me. And I want to just thank again, everyone that continues to push me to strive for success in this sport. It’s time for a new journey, and I’m excited to get started."
Despite retiring, Kurt Busch stayed at 23XI Racing as a mentor for Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick.