NASCAR meets WRC at Rally Finland

NASCAR champion and Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch swapped the familiarity of pounding around America's oval circuits for a taste of the World Rally Championship at Rally Finland.

The 2004 NASCAR Cup champion and 2017 Daytona 500 winner has been a long time admirer of rallying and in 2014 competed in the Monza Rally Show, driving an M-Sport-built Ford Fiesta RS WRC car

But up until now, the retired NASCAR star had yet to experience the latest rally machinery or the unique nature of a WRC event. At Rally Finland, Busch managed to tick off that goal by jumping in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 car piloted by the WRC’s latest sensation, Rally Estonia winner Oliver Solberg for a run through a shortened version of the famous Ruuhimäki gravel stage.

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“For me it took me back I ran the Monza Rally Show 10 years ago.To experience it, first class with Oliver Solberg on an actual WRC rally [was great],” said Busch.

“The car is like a ballet and what Oliver is doing with the car is what is the most difficult part for me to digest. I feel the car going sideways and I’m fine but the jumps the twists and the turns the car is so nimble. Our NASCAR cars are so heavy and are buried into the track, but these rally cars are floating on top of the track.

“Launching an all wheel drive car and heading into some of the corners and switchbacks, it was like Oliver was step ahead of where my body was digesting that corner to come. When you respect someone like that, there is no fear whatsoever.

“For sure, our NASCAR discipline is very different, it is a lot of about tyre management and getting the grip level on the asphalt. This is all-wheel drive, lightweight and go as fast as you can go while the tree branches are hitting the windshield. It is whole different discipline but it is fun to see it at the top level.”

While Busch opted to end his full-time NASCAR career at the end of 2022, the Las Vegas native admitted the experience had whetted his appetite for possible informal return behind the wheel.

“Possibly, my competitive days are over but when I come to an event like this I think what have I got to do [to have a go] and how fast could I be, but I’m just having fun with it and rubbing elbows with some of the best in motorsport,” he added.

Watch WRC on DAZN

The 2025 World Rally Championship is available through DAZN on its own dedicated app channel,  Rally TV. It is available either as a dedicated Rally TV subscription, or as part of your existing DAZN subscription for a small add-on fee.

DAZN is the home of Rally TV worldwide, excluding Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, China, Hong Kong and Japan.

Rally TV also broadcasts every rally from the European Rally Championship.

Watch every WRC and ERC rally this year on DAZN's 24-hour dedicated Rally TV channel. For more information on prices, subscriptions and more, click here.