Kyle Busch leaves Joe Gibbs Racing!

This season therefore marks the end of a 15-year collaboration between Busch and the team of Joe Gibbs, former American Football coach who won 3 Super Bowls. The 37-year-old won two Cup Series titles with the team in 2015 and 2019, and remains the team's winningest driver to this day with 56 of his 60 victories achieved under his famous No. 18.

This announcement made in the prestigious setting of NASCAR Hall of Fame puts an end to several months of uncertainty surrounding the rest of the career of Kyle Busch who lost his historic sponsor, the Mars group (M&M's, Snickers, etc.) at the end of this season.

Kyle Busch and Richard Childress, a union for the better? ©NASCAR/Getty

By inheriting the number 8, Kyle Busch succeeds prestigious drivers including Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Pearson, Wendell Scott and Sterling Marlin, 

Busch leaves Toyota for Chevrolet

If we could sense from Joe Gibbs a desire to refresh his driver line-up, it is on the other hand a big loss for the Japanese manufacturer Toyota which had built a very “Made in USA” communication around the popularity of its pilot. Kyle Busch remains the best provider of trophies for Toyota having given the brand 203 victories in the three major divisions of NASCAR.

Kyle Busch began his career at Chevrolet in 2005 with Hendrick Motorsports. He won four victories there before joining Gibbs in 2008. Only Denny Hamlin can boast greater seniority, he who joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005.

A historic livery © Logan Riely/Getty Images

Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota must now face the immense void left by Busch. To replace him, all eyes are on Ty Gibbs, the grandson of Joe Gibbs, five-time winner in the Xfinity Series this season. For 8 races, Ty Gibbs has replaced the injured Kurt Busch at 23XI Racing, a satellite team of Joe Gibbs, one of whose shareholders is none other than Denny Hamlin.

However, the fact that Kyle Busch inherits the No. 8 allocated this season to Tyler Reddick may suggest a completely different scenario. Reddick has signed up for the 2024 season with 23XI Racing, a decision which quite logically offended Richard Childress. It would therefore not be surprising to see Reddick quickly leave the JGR to join 23XI Racing a season in advance where he could replace Kurt Busch. The latter, by renouncing the Playoffs, judging himself insufficiently recovered from his Pocono accident, fueled persistent rumors of sporting retirement.

One thing is certain, this 2022 season, the first of the Next Gen era, fully deserves its nickname “Silly Season”! 

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