CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 28: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Red White and Blue Toyota, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28, 2022 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
UPDATE 2: While Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing remain committed to signing Kyle Busch for a contract extension, a Toyota executive told NBC Sports they are conducting “contingency planning.”
Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson said the manufacturer and JGR are “trying to find a way” to keep the two-time Cup Champion – Busch’s home since 2008.
“If there’s no sponsorship there, maybe we can build a bridge somewhere,” Wilson said.
The problem for Joe Gibbs Racing is that it couldn’t get sponsorship for Busch next season. Until then, the organization is unlikely to sign a new deal with Busch.
A potential sponsor failed earlier and reset the sponsor search. Wilson said there have been discussions with “a number of sponsors”.
— NBC Sports —
UPDATE 7/17/2022: Kyle Busch said Saturday there is no firm deadline to solidify a potential return to Joe Gibbs Racing next season, adding he has been in talks with other teams.
“I mean, it would be nice sooner or later, but honestly it doesn’t matter how early or how late it gets done,” Busch said ahead of Saturday’s qualifying for the Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “Until there’s an announcement that someone else is driving the 18, I feel like I still have a seat.”
Toyota made a splash earlier this week by signing Tyler Reddick for the 2024 season with 23XI Racing, a subsidiary of JGR. Busch hedged about whether this addition to the Toyota camp would affect his negotiations, but admitted he has spoken to other teams.
“The short answer is yes,” Busch said. “But you know, yes, obviously anything is possible. There are all sorts of things that can happen. It’s just a matter of what it does.”
— NASCAR.com —
ORIGINAL POST 7/7/2022: Dave Alpern, President of Joe Gibbs Racing, made no bones about it: The team intends to have Kyle Busch back in the No. 18 Toyota for the 2023 Cup Series season, alongside Ty Gibbs back in the Xfinity Series.
What tarnishes those plans is the lack of signed deals midway through the 2022 season.
Busch, the only active multiple cup champion at the circuit, loses longtime sponsor Mars, Inc. at the end of the season. In a conference call Thursday, Alpern noted that the search for the two-time titleholder’s replacement sponsor is ongoing.
“We’ve been pretty consistent since the end of last season, so that means we want Kyle in the (#) 18 car and that’s our plan,” Alpern said. “We’re still working on sponsorship and no matter how much interest there is in our sport, it’s taking a long time. And admittedly, this one is taking a little longer than we thought. It’s not due to a lack of interest. Just trying to get it all together. So that will probably happen in parallel. And again we hope that something will be decided here in the near future.”
—NASCAR.com —