Kurt Busch Breaks Through for Jordan Brand

Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

There are certain expectations that come with a Jordan brand sponsorship.

Kurt Busch more than exceeded them on Sunday.

The 43-year old refused to lose, getting past Kyle Larson with nine laps to go to win the Advent Health 400 at Kansas Speedway, his 34th career win and the second in 23XI Racing’s history. The win was also Ku. Busch’s first win at Kansas and extends a nine-year run of seasons with a win.

“My team put me out there in position, and I wasn’t going to let anybody named Kyle beat me today,” Ku. Busch said.

For co-owner Denny Hamlin, who finished fourth, it was the most emotional he’s ever been about a win.

“It just feels bigger,” Hamlin said. “I had a front row seat to it.”

All throughout the weekend, the Toyotas were sitting atop the charts. It was Ku. Busch and his brother Kyle Busch pacing practice before Christopher Bell won the pole by over .1 seconds.

Another constant was left-rear tire issues. Practice was halted several times for tire-related accidents, which led to Chris Buescher, Hamlin, Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. having to start at the rear.

The issues persisted in the race, as Daniel Suarez’s day got ruined by a spin while running in the top-five before William Byron and Tyler Reddick both had flats while running first and second.

To Ky. Busch, those issues all come down to the way team’s manage their tires.

“We learned our lesson at Vegas in practice when we wrecked there,” Ky. Busch said. “We haven’t come that aggressive since.”

Some of the most talked about action of the day came courtesy of Ku. Busch and Larson battling for the lead. They had two extended battles in the final stage where they were side-by-side with one another, before Ku. Busch won out both times including the final pass to win by 1.4 seconds. Ky. Busch, Hamlin and Bell rounded out the top-five.

While Larson had good things to say about that battle, he wasn’t as excited about the racing package.

“It’s just kind of frustrating when everybody gets to the wall and it’s really hard to pass,” Larson said. “I like the other style a little bit better, but it’s hard to please everybody.”

The race was a banner performance for Toyota, as all six of their entries ran in the top-10 for the first time since Watkins Glen in 2017. This included Bubba Wallace, who was running as high as fifth before a penalty for an uncontrolled tire.

“He should be frustrated,” Hamlin said. “I passed the No. 45 pretty early, easily in traffic. I couldn’t pass the No. 23.”

Ku. Busch has now won with four manufacturers and five different race team in his career.

“Early in my career, it was all about me,” Ku. Busch said. “Now I’ve understood that this is a team and every element is super important.”