Kurt Busch to miss Indy; Ty Gibbs back in No. 45 Cup car

Kurt Busch will miss his second consecutive Cup race after suffering what he previously called “concussion-like symptoms” after a crash in qualifying last weekend at Pocono Raceway. Ty Gibbs will drive the No. 45 car this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Gibbs will be on Wednesday’s MotorMouths. The show airs from 6-7 p.m. ET on Peacock.

23XI Racing announced Wednesday that Busch has not been cleared by the NASCAR medical team to compete this weekend.

Busch is the first driver to miss any Cup races this season because of an injury.

In a statement, 23XI Racing said: “Kurt’s health is of the utmost importance to the team, and we wish him all the best as he prepares for his return.”

The team also stated that Busch has received a medical waiver from NASCAR and remains eligible for the playoffs. Busch earned that spot with his victory at Kansas in May.

The 19-year-old Gibbs made his Cup debut last weekend at Pocono in the No. 45 Cup car for Busch. Gibbs finished 16th.

Gibbs said last weekend that the biggest change from Xfinity to Cup was “just the dirty air and how bad that affects you. Just being able to make sure I was getting out far enough. I was a little bit tight all day, so just trying to get front turn and trying to get more center turn which would help me. It was a learning day. I felt like I learned a lot.”

Sunday’s Cup race on the Indy road course airs at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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— Kurt Busch (@KurtBusch) July 27, 2022

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— Ty Gibbs (@TyGibbs_) July 27, 2022