Where will Kyle Busch sign after the 2022 season?
“I got an announcement to make. Y’allY’all ready? There is no announcement.” - Kyle Busch addressing the media before the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
At the end of the 2022 season, Busch will be hitting the free agent market for the first time since 2007. As a result, many are wondering where Busch will sign after the season ends.
Joe Gibbs Racing
Busch has accomplished a lot in his 14 years with Joe Gibbs Racing. Two-time Cup Series Champion (2015 and 2019), two-time regular season champion (2018 and 2019). 55 career wins in the Cup Series with the team.
However, since the 2020 season, Busch hasn’t been the same driver he was back in the 2010s. Busch was almost winless in the 2020 season—nearly losing an active 15-year streak of winning at least one race per year.
What is starting to drive Busch away from Joe Gibbs Racing is losing long-time sponsor MARS (M&M’s). Busch has been struggling to find a sponsor to replace M&M’s, which was unknown at the time. Additionally, there have been reports that Busch may be done with Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2022 season. There’s also speculation that Busch’s replacement is Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs’ grandson, who could replace Busch after the 2022 season.
With Ty Gibbs having a breakout season in the Xfinity Series and performing well at the Cup Series level as a substitute for 23XL for Kurt Busch, Ty can be a candidate to replace Busch in the No. 18 car for the 2023 season.
Kyle Busch racing at Homestead 2019. Winning his 2nd Cup Series title (Getty Images)
Kaulig Racing
There’ve been rumor reports that Busch may sign with the new upcoming team in Nascar. Kaulig Racing is an interesting pick for Busch, and it would be a fresh start for the 37-year-old.
Kaulig Racing has been in the Cup Series level since 2021, scoring one win in their inaugural season with AJ Allmendinger winning at Indianapolis. Some upcoming talent drivers, like Noah Gregson, moved from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series level. So if Kaulig Racing signs Busch, they will be getting a high driver pedigree with experience and talent and a driver that can fit the team’s captain role.
Hendrick Motorsports
Let’s face it. This can be an underdog team that can be sneaky and pick up Busch. Busch drove for Hendrick Motorsports in 2004 as a 19-year-old driver in the Busch Series. Then in 2005, he drove in the Cup Series level for two years, only to be replaced by Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the end of the 2007 season.
It’s uncertain if Hendrick Motorsports decides to keep Alex Bowman in the No. 48 car or sign Busch for that ride. In the Hendrick Motorsports roster, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and William Byron signed long-term contracts to stay with the team. If Hendrick Motorsports signs Busch, it would be the scariest team in Nascar.
The organization won back-to-back Cup Series titles in 2020 and 2021, followed by the regular season championship last year and this year. This team will cost havoc if they sign Busch.
Kyle Busch in 2005, scouring his first career win at California Speedway with Hendrick Motorsports (Getty Images)
Trackhouse Racing
Another up-and-coming team in Nascar that could possibly pick up Busch. The Trackhouse Racing team is starting to become popular with the owner Pitbull. The team has up-and-coming talent and is ready to compete for its first Cup Series title. With the driver pairing of Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez having a breakout year, this underdog team can be sneaky come playoff time.
If Trackhouse Racing signs Busch for the 2023 season, he would bring experience and talent to the team. Also, it would be a no-stranger teammate for Busch as he had Daniel Suárez as his teammate during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Suarez was then let go at Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2018 season. His career rejuvenated this year after scoring a win at Sonoma this year. The teammate bond can be something special for the team.
However, another teammate who has been pesky for Busch this year can make him say no. That being Ross Chastain. There’s been a couple of incidents between Ross and Busch in the last year.
Some notable incidents are Atlanta in 2021, where Ross blocked Busch to win to help his teammate (Kurt Busch) win that race. This year at Richmond saw Kyle Busch get spun by Chastain. After the race, Busch said, “We got Chastained this week.” So maybe this could be the team Kyle Busch signs or not.
23XL
Micheal Jordan and teammate Denny Hamlin own the team. Could they possibly have a third car in the field? Kurt Busch is out with an injury, and it is unknown when his brother will return. Kyle can be the possible replacement for Kurt following the 2022 season. But at what cost?
Kurt’s plans are also unknown after the 2022 season or when he will return to the track with the final ten races remaining. On the other hand, Ty Gibbs has been substituting Kurt after his violent crash at Pocono. Gibbs can also land a ride at the Cup Series level in 2023.
What is on Kyle Busch's mind after this season?
Kyle Busch wants a contract that allows him to retire once that new contract ends. During the pre-race at Richmond back in August, Kyle Busch stated, “This situation right now is very important to me as well as Kyle Busch Motorsports because wherever this next place is — whether it’s Joe Gibbs Racing or whoever — I would like to not have to go through this again. I’ve got six, seven, maybe eight more years if I play all of this out perfectly, Brexton and I, we share a truck when he turns 16 years old,” he said of his son, who is currently seven. “And then it’s his when he’s 18, and I’m done. I’m out. So that’s the perfect play.”
When it’s time for Busch to hang up the boots in Nascar, he wants to focus on his family and his son Brexton’s racing career.
