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23XI Racing driver Kurt Busch cemented a positive weekend for the team at Martinsville Speedway last weekend. The Michael Jordan-owned outfit has been on a downward spiral in prior races, with results nowhere to be seen.
The 43-year-old NASCAR veteran drove his No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD to a sixth-place finish in the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400. Busch described his efforts in the race car as a battle between 'comfort and experience' while speaking to track-side media, and said:
“I did all that I could on the loose side of things with the 45 Toyota TRD Camry. I mean, I have never been told how to drive so many laps in my life. And then when I go back to my line, I’d feel the most comfortable and the lap time would be off by a little bit. So it’s like just comfort versus what I know for as many years."
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Kurt Busch was one of the few drivers who enjoyed carving through the pack in the Next Gen car. Most of them complained about dirty air and lack of grip on the track. He was content with his performance and said:
"It was really fun though to drive Martinsville this way with this Next Gen car, but really had to work hard and I just think we maximized today. Our loose run was stage two, we were 12th and then just couldn’t quite attack you know, steering wheel and throttle at the same time. And I needed the pace to drop off and longer green runs seem to help us."
Kurt Busch says Martinsville finish is "good to right the ship"
The 23XI Racing team has not had the most successful debut season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
One of the two debutant teams this season, 23XI Racing has lagged behind the competition with dismal results. Trackhouse Racing, the other new team in 2022, have won a race in the same time frame.
Kurt Busch acknowledged the issue after last Sunday's race, and said:
"We know that sixth is good to right the ship for what we need to do at 23XI Racing. But overall, we need to pick it up.”
NASCAR goes live from the Food City Dirt Race next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway at 7:00 p.m. EST.
