Kyle Busch’s NASCAR career transition made headlines as the two-time champion faced an uncertain future with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in 2022, ultimately opting to leave the longstanding team despite expressing a readiness to accept a lower salary. The departure brought an end to a 15-year partnership with JGR, as sponsorship deals unraveled and contract talks stalled, forcing Busch to make strategic decisions about his racing future.
Contract Uncertainty Casts Doubt on Busch’s Future with JGR
Throughout the 2022 NASCAR season, Kyle Busch found himself in a precarious situation without a confirmed ride for the following year. The exit of his steadfast sponsor, Mars/M&M’s, left his JGR seat vulnerable and made contract negotiations increasingly complex. Despite this turmoil, Busch asserted his desire to remain with JGR and even publicly offered to take a salary reduction if it meant continuing his legacy with the team. He addressed these intentions before the Brickyard race weekend:
“My first option, my first goal, my first set is to be at Joe Gibbs Racing and stay with Toyota and have nothing change… I don’t think it needs to be that number because obviously, there’s a number in that, then pays a driver and 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 said (via NASCAR). —Kyle Busch, NASCAR Cup Series driver
Despite ongoing discussions, Busch displayed resilience on the track during this period. His season included a victory in the Bristol Dirt Race that secured his spot in the playoffs, as well as strong performances with podium finishes at Talladega, Kansas, Charlotte, and Gateway. However, as negotiations lingered, his form began to falter, with seven results outside the top 20 in the subsequent ten races. This downturn prompted speculation about whether off-track pressures were influencing his racecraft. Ben Beshore, Busch’s crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing, countered such thoughts emphatically:
“We’ve had a rough last six weeks here of not getting the finishes that we’re used to getting… the reason we’re not finishing well doesn’t have anything to do with contract talks or anything like that…. Kyle’s put in a lot of effort at the shop and on the weekends and he’s dialed in. We’re all trying to finish the best we can every week. So, I don’t feel like it’s a distraction at all,”
Beshore told NASCAR.com. —Ben Beshore, No. 18 crew chief, Joe Gibbs Racing
Amid a shrinking window for resolution and impending playoff commitments, Busch acknowledged the breadth of his options, weighing opportunities across both the short and long term as he faced the reality of potentially racing elsewhere.
Departure from JGR and Fresh Start with Richard Childress Racing
The close of the 2022 season made it clear that Busch’s lengthy relationship with JGR—highlighted by two championships and 56 NASCAR Cup Series victories—was ending. Early elimination from the playoffs, with finishes outside the top 25 in four straight playoff races, underscored a difficult period. Meanwhile, Richard Childress Racing (RCR) announced that Busch would join them on a multi-year contract, piloting the No. 8 Chevrolet starting in 2023 and marking his return to the Chevrolet camp where he began his Cup career with Hendrick Motorsports nearly 20 years prior.
Kyle Busch’s move also signaled a fundamental shift, as he left Toyota after building its winningest driver legacy in the NASCAR national series. Internal voices such as Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson had stressed the value Busch brought to the franchise:
“I mean, Kyle Busch is our 60-home run hitter. And we’d be foolish not to put everything in play to keep him in the family,”
Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson had said just weeks before the decision. —David Wilson, President, Toyota Racing Development
The reconfiguration fractured longstanding ties, leaving Busch to contemplate the emotional costs. He voiced his inner conflict regarding the magnitude of the decision and its impact on those involved:
“Trust me, my gut doesn’t feel good, and that’s not just for decisions being made, but more so of decisions being weighed and the perception in how you come across to all of those that you’re going to disappoint, right? There’s going to be one winner, and the rest are not winners, if you look at it in that regard,”
he told NASCAR.com. —Kyle Busch, NASCAR Cup Series driver
Busch’s arrival at RCR also mended old rifts, notably his infamous 2011 post-race altercation with team owner Richard Childress. Both sides moved past previous disputes, forging a new alliance in hopes of mutual success. Busch launched his RCR tenure with vigor in 2023, earning three race wins and advancing to the playoffs, though an early exit in the Round of 12 followed. During this period, Busch sold Kyle Busch Motorsports to Spire Motorsports, effectively ending his chapter as a Truck Series owner.
Lingering Struggles and the Search for Lost Momentum
Despite technical changes and flashes of competitive pace, Busch faced challenges replicating his earlier consistency in the No. 8 Chevrolet. After his last Cup Series victory at Gateway on June 4, 2023, neither race wins nor playoff qualifications materialized in the subsequent 2024 season. For the first time in his storied career, Busch missed the playoff cut entirely, underscoring the competitive difficulties endured by both driver and team as expectations remained high.
Currently, with only four races remaining in the 2025 regular season, Busch and his team are once again striving to bridge the gap back to the front, hoping to rediscover the form and fortune enjoyed during his championship-caliber years at Joe Gibbs Racing.
What Kyle Busch’s NASCAR Career Transition Means for the Sport
Kyle Busch’s transition between iconic NASCAR teams has carried significant implications for everyone involved, from JGR and Toyota to RCR and Chevrolet. While the move closed a successful chapter defined by consistency and championships, it opened a new era marked by uncertainty and the challenge of adapting to fresh environments. The performance hurdles faced by Busch at RCR reflect the complexity of such career-altering changes, especially for drivers with celebrated legacies.
Busch’s ongoing journey serves as a reminder of NASCAR’s unpredictable landscape, where sponsorship shifts, team dynamics, and evolving competition shape even the most accomplished drivers’ fates. The wider NASCAR community continues to watch as Busch seeks to regain his winning edge, knowing the next phase of his career could further alter the sport’s competitive balance and wider narrative.
