Sunday’s (March 26) NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas was a weird one.
Sure, there were endless green-white-checkered finish attempts, which you’ll get when visiting a road course with a turn 1 the size of the Grand Canyon.
Then there were two Formula One world champions — Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen — and an IMSA star — Jordan Taylor — getting a taste of NASCAR’s top series.
Then the last lap happened.
With the sun setting on Austin, Texas, 23XI Racing officially began its third chapter.
Which is an odd thing to say about a NASCAR team that’s only existed for two seasons and some change.
But that’s the reality of it.
As Tyler Reddick ran away from the competition to earn his first win with the team, we got a reminder about what led us to the moment.
“It’s amazing, 23XI (Racing) and how fast we’re growing and how much we’re doing together,” Kurt Busch said, roughly nine months after his full-time Cup career ended due to a concussion. “It’s forward, together, on this program. It brings me a little bit, choked up.
“I was hoping to be back in that car. But it’s in good hands, and it’s a great team and I love racing with those guys.”
Perhaps that was the weirdest moment Sunday.
Watching Reddick, having been whisked away from Richard Childress Racing in a surprise signing in the middle of 2022, celebrating on COTA’s frontstretch in Busch’s old number and the iconic flat black Monster Energy scheme we’ve associated with Busch for the last decade.
Yes, Bubba Wallace won in the No. 45 at Kansas Speedway last year, but that was the result of a simple number swap.
On Sunday, that was Busch’s team. His sponsor. His number.
It’s been obvious for a while what 23XI Racing means to Busch.
Last May, he claimed what’s currently his 34th and final Cup win in a No. 45 car sponsor by the Air Jordan brand.
After the race, team co-owner Denny Hamlin said “Certainly, there’s been no win that I’ve had that has equaled the emotions of this one, for sure.”
When I asked Busch about Hamlin’s comment, he became surprisingly emotional in a way I don’t recall ever seeing him before.
Looking back at the column I wrote then, the first quote…
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