NASCAR driver Kurt Busch ended weeks of speculation Wednesday, stating he will not compete in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May.
Busch, 37, said that he shelved the idea to compete in the Memorial Day “Double” with NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 to instead focus on his full-time driving duties in the Sprint Cup Series with the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet team. But Busch also left the door open to potentially compete in future editions of IndyCar’s most prestigious race.
“After seriously contemplating making another run at ‘The Double,’ and in response to the many questions I receive on the subject as the month of May approaches, I wanted to state that I will not be participating in this year’s 100th running of the Indianapolis 500,” Busch wrote in a statement on his personal website.
“I must say this was not an easy decision and it does not in any way reflect upon my desire to compete again in one of the world’s greatest races; it is based solely on a need to maintain the focus and momentum we have built early in this NASCAR season with our No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing, Haas Automation/Monster Energy Chevy team — hopefully all the way to Homestead and the championship weekend.”
Busch has opened the 2016 campaign on a strong note with top-10 finishes in four of the five events so far. He also has two Coors Light Pole Awards to his credit.
Busch made his lone Indy 500 start on May 25, 2014, finishing a commendable sixth for the Andretti Autosport team at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He then traveled to North Carolina for stock-car racing’s longest event that evening, finishing 40th when engine failure abbreviated his Coca-Cola 600 after 271 of the 400 laps.
“My experience with Andretti Autosport and its drivers was so very positive and the way in which the IndyCar fans and media welcomed me, it is undoubtedly one of the highlights of my career both personally and professionally,” Busch wrote. “Fortunately, Michael (Andretti) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have left the door open for a future run, and perhaps one day I will take them up on that, it just won’t be this year.”