Kurt Busch not cleared to race at Michigan

For the third consecutive week, Kurt Busch was not medically cleared to race, meaning he will miss Sunday‘s NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Busch released the following statement via social media: “While I am continuing to make improvements every day and can‘t wait to get back in the No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota Camry TRD, I have yet to be cleared to return to competition and will not be participating in the NASCAR Cup Series race this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. I know Ty (Gibbs) will continue to do a great job representing 23XI and the No. 45 Monster Energy team this weekend in Michigan. I am working hard to get back to 100% and it‘s my hope to be back in the car at Richmond Raceway. Thanks to everyone for the continued support and I look forward to being back on track soon.”

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Busch suffered concussion-like symptoms after a qualifying crash on July 23 at Pocono Raceway, resulting in Ty Gibbs filling his role for the 23XI Racing team‘s No. 45 entry at Pocono and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

Beginning with Saturday‘s practice and qualifying sessions, Gibbs is on tap to drive the No. 45 Toyota again this weekend, looking to build off a pair of top-17 finishes in his first career premier series starts. Sunday‘s test at Michigan (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports APP, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will be his first on a traditional oval.

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Though Busch will now miss his third race of 2022, he has been granted a waiver to compete for the championship if he qualifies for the 16-driver playoff field. In current playoff standing, he is locked in by virtue of his win in May at Kansas Speedway.

Busch will be evaluated further to determine if he is fit to race in next Sunday‘s action at Richmond Raceway.