A program had been put together between Triple Eight, Supercars and Adelaide event organisers to have Busch compete in both the Supercars and Super2 races at the event.

An announcement of the headline-grabbing deal was to have taken place this weekend, before the 39-year-old pulled the pin in recent days.

The news is a blow for fans keen to see how the NASCAR star would fare in the highly competitive Supercars field.

The prospect of Busch competing as a wildcard was first floated at last year’s Adelaide 500, where his NASCAR team boss Richard Childress was in attendance with Erebus Motorsport.

An entry for Busch in Adelaide was mooted as a way to further his road course racing skills, having worked with Erebus Motorsport and its drivers Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown last year.

The 2024 Adelaide 500 is perfectly timed for such a cameo, given it takes place a week after the final round of the gruelling 36-race NASCAR season.

While initial plans for Erebus to field the wildcard did not progress, it emerged in June – following Brown’s NASCAR start with RCR at Sonoma – that Triple Eight had revived the program.

It’s understood that an off-track commitment in the United States has been cited as the reason for Busch’s unavailability.

Adelaide 500 organiser, the South Australian Motor Sport Board, responded to Speedcafe’s enquiries about Busch with a statement throwing forward to next year.

“Due to timing and commitments, having an international Supercars Wildcard at the VAILO Adelaide 500 is being explored for 2025,” it read.

“We look forward to sharing more international off track talent for the 2024 event soon, as we continue to build a motorsport mecca in the heart of Adelaide this November.’

Regardless of Busch’s decision, the Adelaide 500 its still set to be a blockbuster event, including the addition of Sprintcar action for the first time.

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