‘That is a statement piece for us at 23XI,’ Kurt Busch reacts to his impressive climb to the top 10 from starting at end of the grid

The Fontana Auto Club Speedway hosted the second round of the NASCAR cup series which showcased how hard and exciting is the race in Next-Gen cars. Defending Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson came out victorious after his incredible assent to the top from the rear end of the grid after he was stripped of his front poll for an unapproved modification to his car.

But Kyle Larson wasn’t the only driver who was impressed from starting at the back veteran 2004 Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch produce an incredible run which saw him finish as the highest-ranked Toyota at P8. Unlike Kyle Larson, Kurt Busch had to go through a lot to get his 23X1 tracing No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota Camry to the top.

Kurt Busch was barred from qualifying after failing his car failed the pre-qualifying inspection three times and had to fend off crashes and control issues to get the top 10. He had 133 green flag passes in the Auto Club Speedway the highest number in the field.

Find out what Kurt Busch said

Kurt Busch was quick to acknowledge that the impressive finish at Fontana is a statement piece for his new outfit 23X1 racing after the grid penalty and crashes they had to overcome in Auto Club speedway. He went on to say that this finished showed his team that they have to grind out success this year, but added that the team and manufacturer Toyota has a lot to learn from as he was the only Toyota driver in the top 10.

“I can’t describe what we went through today with all the adversity, all of the problems – the self-inflicted things, the oddball scenarios. Wow. What a top-10. That is a statement piece for us at 23XI, to get our top-10 like this with everything we have been through,” Kurt Busch said.

“I’ve got to thank all of my guys for staying focused. They showed me the way, and I showed them what we’ve got to do this year to keep chiseling away. I think we are the highest finishing Toyota, so we know we have some work to do, and the restart fell our way on that last one, but that was the best our car had handled since the first stage, so lots to learn,” Kurt Busch added.

Though Kurt Busch was able to showcase his skill and experience the team has to keep in mind they can emulate the same success seldom if they were to get hit by penalties for failing to pass NASCAR inspections. His teammate Bubba Wallace finished in P19 but it was disappointing considering his P2 finish at Daytona and the multiple crashes he had to survive also didn’t help.

Also read: ‘We’re going to win a few races very soon,’ Daniel Suarez is hopeful about the future  amidst Fontana disappointment