Kurt Busch will not compete for a Cup Series championship this season.
NASCAR announced Thursday morning that the veteran 23XI driver, who has missed the past five weekends of NASCAR Cup Series racing due to a brain injury, has withdrawn his medical waiver request and vacated his playoff spot. Busch hasn’t raced since late July, after suffering a brain injury during qualifying at Pocono on July 23.
The news effectively opens up a spot in the 2022 Cup Series playoffs — complicating an already thrilling postseason chase.