"We’re really pulling for him": When Joe Gibbs reflected on Kyle Busch's departure from JGR

NASCAR: Coca-Cola 600 - Source: Imagn
NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) talks with team owner Joe Gibbs - Source: Imagn

Ahead of Kyle Busch's departure from Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023, the owner of JGR, Joe Gibbs wanted to keep the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion at Huntersville. He said that JGR and its officials wanted to retain Busch amid the talks about his departure from the team he had spent one and a half decades with.

During his stint with JGR, Busch became almost synonymous with the team. His #18 Toyota and M&M branding always went hand in hand. However, at the end of 2022, he decided that his days with the team were over as Richard Childress Racing waited in line.

As the talks of its star driver jumping ship to RCR began to solidify, JGR's Joe Gibbs said that he wanted to keep him, and the Busch family at the team. Speaking about this, he told Kelly Crandall of Racer.com in October 2022:

"We talked to Kyle and just told him we’re really pulling for him and [wife] Sam and the family,” said Gibbs. “The rest of his racing career – this guy is going to win a bunch. We know that. He’s a great competitor. When you think about it with us, 15 years, that was awesome. I just really appreciate that so much."
“I just think we worked hard trying to get everything done there. We couldn’t. I think he’s found a home, and I’ll be willing to bet he’s going to be after it next year, and he’s going to want to win a bunch of races," Gibbs added.

Kyle Busch left Hendrick Motorsports to arrive at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008. This was a monumental move for the now 39-year-old, as he found most of his successes at JGR.

He claimed two championships in 2015 and 2019, two regular season championships in 2018 and 2019, and numerous wins and poles. As a result of these feats, Busch was named one of NASCAR's Greatest 75 Drivers.


Kyle Busch revealed why he left Joe Gibbs Racing

In an interview with Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic last year, Kyle Busch revealed that he left Joe Gibbs Racing because of sponsorship issues. According to Busch, JGR wanted him to drive an unsponsored car in 2023.

Kyle Busch (#18 Joe Gibbs Racing M&M's Toyota) - Source: Getty
Kyle Busch (#18 Joe Gibbs Racing M&M's Toyota) - Source: Getty

Busch's primary sponsors M&M and Marc Inc pulled out of NASCAR at the end of 2022, leaving the two-time Cup Series champion without a sponsor. Neither Busch nor JGR found an immediate sponsor for the #18 driver, which caused a rift between them over time.

“Did JGR try hard enough to sell me? My answer to that is no,” Kyle Busch told The Athletic. “They offered me a contract to race there and they weren’t going to have sponsorship on the car, but I didn’t feel like that was fair for the 15 years that I was there; I didn’t want Joe putting his own money into the program.”

As no sponsor came on board till the end of 2022, Busch switched his allegiance to Richard Childress Racing in 2023. He joined Austin Dillon and has since completed two years at RCR. In 2025, he will continue in the Cup Series, and be in charge of the #8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl
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