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“Doesn’t Make Any Sense” – NASCAR Fans Question 23XI’s Decision to Replace an Injured Kurt Busch by Rookie Ty Gibbs

Published 07/24/2022, 12:28 PM EDT

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Kurt Busch had a miserable qualifying session yesterday, wrecking his car and giving his team an extra night of work, which they did by getting a backup car ready for him. However, the veteran driver was still deemed ineligible to take part in the race.

Why was that?

Well, Busch had taken a decent hit during his wreck in qualifying, leaving him with some concussions that didn’t properly heal in time. And following the protocol in these situations, NASCAR decided he couldn’t take part in the race.

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This surely surprised some fans, but what surprised them, even more, was the replacement driver for Busch. The driver from within the Joe Gibbs Racing umbrella, Ty Gibbs.

Now, ideally, Gibbs swapping Busch should’ve excited most fans considering how talented he is, and how he’s driven so far this season.

But that wasn’t the reaction from the fans because they felt, Gibbs wasn’t experienced, ready, or simply deserving enough of the seat in a Cup car yet.

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What did Kurt Busch say after being ruled out of the race at Pocono?

In a statement posted on his Twitter account, Kurt Busch appreciated the “great job” NASCAR has done by putting the health and safety of drivers ahead of everything. This was something that the veteran wrote he respects.

“I’m still having concussion-like symptoms from yesterday’s impact in qualifying. The tests demonstrate I am still recovering. I will continue to follow the medical team’s recommendations, and appreciate everyone’s support,” the statement continued.

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It’d be interesting to see how, despite the backlash, the young Ty Gibbs fares in the place of Kurt Busch. He came close to winning the race less than 24 hours ago in a Xfinity Series car.

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Can he do so again, this time in a Cup car?

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Written by:

Shaharyar Khan Chauhan

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Shaharyar is an F1 & NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Journalism from Amity University, he has been a passionate follower of motorsports for a better part of the decade. A Max Verstappen and Ferrari supporter, he dreams of a pairing of the two in future.
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