Kurt Busch stepping away from full-time NASCAR Cup racing

LAS VEGAS — Kurt Busch, continuing to recover from a concussion suffered in July, will not race the rest of this season and said Saturday that he will not race full-time in Cup next year. 

“I know I’m not 100% in my ability to go out and race at the top level in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Busch said in a statement he read. “These are the best of the best drivers, and lately, I haven’t felt my best.”

But Busch is not retiring, leaving the option open to race in the future.

“I will get back to 100%, I promise,” Busch said.

The 44-year-old Busch has been sidelined by a concussion since a July 23 crash at Pocono Raceway. He and Alex Bowman continue to miss races this season because of concussions. NASCAR will make changes to the rear of cars for next season to address rear-end impacts, such as those that injured Busch and Bowman.

Busch, a Las Vegas native, made his announcement at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Co-owner Denny Hamlin, teammate Bubba Wallace and Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson attended.

“Kurt’s decision to step away from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition next year is certainly not something anyone expected when we started the season together and celebrated in victory lane at Kansas Speedway earlier this year,” Wilson said in a statement.

“Unfortunate circumstances led Kurt to a difficult decision, but we know that he will continue to contribute to the entire program at Toyota, TRD and 23XI Racing. He brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and firsthand championship experience to his team and fellow Toyota competitors. We’re here to support Kurt in this next chapter of his career and look forward to continuing to work alongside him.”

Said NASCAR President Steve Phelps in a statement: “For more