Why did Kyle Busch leave Joe Gibbs? Everything we know

Kyle Busch made a significant move in his career when he signed with Richard Childress Racing after a 15-year stint with Joe Gibbs Racing. Given Busch's championship runs with JGR, the transition to RCR, a team that hadn't won a title in three decades, was undoubtedly intriguing.

Busch is a 39-year-old racing driver piloting the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for RCR. He began his full-time Cup career with Hendrick Motorsports in 2005 before transitioning to Joe Gibbs Racing, where he achieved significant success, winning two championships (2015, 2019) and 56 races. However, after the 2022 season, he made the decision to leave JGR due to various factors, including the departure of his primary sponsor, Mars, from NASCAR.

How did Mars' exit from the sport influence Busch's decision to leave Joe Gibbs Racing? Let's find out.

Kyle Busch lost a primary sponsor in Joe Gibbs Racing

While there may have been behind-the-scenes discussions about his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing, the loss of Mars as his primary sponsor in 2022 played a significant role. This loss resulted in a substantial decrease in sponsorship funding, which had been a major component of his contract with the Huntersville-based team for several years.

For context, Mars didn’t leave NASCAR because of an issue, but instead due to a change in its marketing strategy. The company was the sponsor that put the M&M's livery on Busch’s No. 18 Toyota car. Per The Athletic, the sponsorship was valued at around $20 million annually.

Kyle Busch's No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at the 2022 Coca-Cola 600 (Source: Imagn)

The Las Vegas native said that money wasn't the primary reason for leaving the team. In fact, he was even willing to compete at a reduced salary; however, he felt compelled to explore other options to ensure his long-term future in NASCAR.

“I don’t think money has ever been the objective or ever been the issue... I’ve already said that I’m willing to take concessions and race for under my market value and go forward and being able to stay in the seat that I’ve made home for the last 15 years."

Busch added:

“I feel as though I’ve said, and I’ll continue to say, my first goal is to stay at Joe Gibbs Racing. But if the musical chairs music stops, and I’m still standing and I don’t have a seat, I’m screwed. So, I have to make sure that I continue to talk and evaluate each place and each situation to find something.”

The 63-time Cup race winner also said that JGR did not try hard enough to sell him. As such, he was certain that the team wouldn’t give him a good deal. As such, he told the team to explore the driver market for other options.

"Did JGR try hard enough to sell me? My answer to that is no," Busch said. "So I’m like, 'There’s no way they’re going to do a NASCAR deal. Not a chance.' So I told those guys, 'Look, you got to look elsewhere. You got to look outside.’”

Joe Gibbs Racing attempted to retain Kyle Busch without a primary sponsor, but he declined the offer. Busch felt it was unreasonable to expect the team to invest their own funds to extend his contract.

In addition to his two NASCAR Cup Series championships and 56 race wins with Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch also secured four prestigious crown jewel victories: the Southern 500 (2008), the Brickyard 400 (2015, 2016), and the Coca-Cola 600 (2016). The driver is still racing for his first Daytona 500 win, which he will be looking to achieve with Richard Childress Racing.

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Kyle Busch with Richard Childress Racing so far

Kyle Busch enjoyed a strong start to his tenure with Richard Childress Racing, winning the second race of the 2023 season at Auto Club Speedway. He followed up with another victory at Talladega Superspeedway, securing his second Cup race win with his new team.

Kyle Busch's No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet at the Bank of America Roval 400 (Source: Imagn)

His third and final victory with RCR came at the World Wide Technology Raceway in 2023. Since then, the now-Chevrolet driver hasn’t won a Cup race, putting his streak of winning at least one race per year at risk, a streak that has spanned 19 consecutive seasons.

Busch still has three races left this season to try and extend the streak. The upcoming races will be held at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway.