Kurt Busch to miss start of NASCAR playoffs: 'I am not ready to be back in the car'

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Kurt Busch will miss the start of the NASCAR playoffs as he deals with concussion-like symptoms that have kept him off the track for six weeks. 

23XI Racing, the team Busch drives under, withdrew his medical waiver on Thursday. Busch’s injury stems from a crash during a qualifier at Pocono Raceway on July 23.

"As much as I wanted and hope to be able to get back in the No. 45 car to make a playoff run with our team, it’s still not the right time for me," Busch said in a statement on Twitter. "In addition to not being cleared to return to racing, I know that I am not ready to be back in the car.

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"I respect the sport of NASCAR, my fellow drivers and the fans too much to take up a playoff spot if I know I can’t compete for a championship this season. The decision was not an easy one, but I know it is the right thing to do."

The decision to pull Busch now opens up two spots in the 16-car playoff field with the regular-season finale to be raced at Daytona on Saturday night. 

Kurt Busch, driver of the #45 SiriusXM Radio Toyota, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 17, 2022 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Busch would have been racing in his 10th consecutive playoff had he not been injured. Now, fellow 23XI teammate Martin Truex Jr. has a real shot at making that playoff, as he had been battling Ryan Blaney for the final slot. Results at Daytona could vault him into contention there. 

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Kurt Busch, driver of the #45 SiriusXM Radio Toyota, (L) and Martin