Kurt Busch Is Coming Out Of Retirement To Drive For Team USA At The Race Of Champions

2004 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch will be putting his title to work Down Under this weekend.

Busch announced his retirement from full time racing in 2023 due to the after effects of a concussion suffered in a crash at Pocono Raceway the year before, but is getting back behind the wheel in Sydney, Australia as part of Team USA at the Race of Champions, also known as ROC.

The event pits two-driver teams against each other in a variety of cars on a track built inside of a stadium. This year it’s taking place in Sydney’s Accor Stadium, which was originally built to host the 2000 Olympics.

The winding paved track features two separate lanes that the cars stay in during the races. The teams will compete in a variety of vehicles that range from electric rally cars to side-by-sides and Toyota GR86s.

Busch is teaming with rally car ace and Travis Pastrana and will be facing off against several heavy hitters, including German four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel and Finnish F1 driver Valtteri Bottas.

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Pastrana said he originally wanted to ask versatile driver Kyle Larson to join him on the team, but that wasn’t possible due to the NASCAR schedule, so he decided to lure two-time ROC driver Busch out of retirement.

“I said, Kurt, will you please come out of retirement, I need you” Pastrana told MAVTV. “We’re gonna go, we’re gonna go to win.”

Pastrana said Busch is “pretty pumped” and has been offering coaching advice as they prepare for the event.

The Race of Champions weekend starts on Friday, March 7 with the ROC Nations Cup, then switches to the individual Race Of Champions on Saturday, March 8. It will be broadcast in the U.S. on MAVTV.