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Kurt Busch: Some drivers getting a "free pass to become a superstar"

In a radio interview Thursday, veteran Kurt Busch said he believed NASCAR was giving younger drivers such as Chase Elliott, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Erik Jones “a free pass” to become a superstar.

Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Barry Cantrell / NKP / Motorsport Images

Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Darrell Wallace Jr., Biagi-DenBeste Racing Ford
Polesitter Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

During an appearance on “The Domenick Nati Show,” Busch, 39, said he agreed with some of the comments made by his brother, Kyle, on the subject earlier this week and disagreed with others.

“What I think he is trying to say is that we are promoting these guys and they don’t have the race wins yet. I mean there is ‘zero’ in the win column for a guy like Chase Elliott, there’s zero for Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones, all those guys, you know,” Kurt Busch said.

“You know (Kyle) Larson’s out there; he’s young; he’s winning. They need to push him. I see him as a future champion. I think what Kyle is saying is these guys have been given a free pass, so to speak, to become a superstar and we haven’t seen the success on track translate to what’s being shown to the world, so to speak.”

Chase Elliott overrated?

Busch, a former champion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, was also asked who he believed was the “most overrated driver in NASCAR today.”

His response:

“That’s a touchy subject. I think that is what my little brother Kyle was referring to. It’s cute – there are different ‘chosen ones’ or guys that take over iconic rides. But right now Bill Elliott’s son, who is going to be a big-time player in our sport and has yet to win, is Chase Elliott.

“He’s doing a good job; it’s all starting to blend in and I’d say he’s just slightly overrated right now without the race wins that he should have in the win column.”

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