The 2023 Cup Series season will mark a major career change for Kyle Busch. He will move over to Richard Childress Racing and try to follow in the footsteps of two legendary NFL quarterbacks.
Busch met with media members on December 1 and addressed his move from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing. He noted that the situation surrounding his contract has been a challenge for him and his family, but he also said that it could ultimately be a blessing in disguise for him.
“I’m kind of looking at it as the Tom Brady /Peyton Manning aspect where they left great teams, great organizations where they won championships, and they went on and were able to win championships somewhere else,” Busch explained. “I’d like to think that I still have that opportunity to be able to do that with RCR.
“I look at the opportunity with the new Next Gen race car as an easier move to make now with that versus years past with previous generation cars. So I think it’s going to be… honestly, it could be a lateral move.”
Brady & Manning Both Won Championships After Switching Teams
GettyKyle Busch speaks to the media at Kansas Speedway.
To Busch’s point, Brady and Manning both switched teams after winning championships. Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to two Super Bowl appearances, winning one, but his time with the team came to an end after he underwent neck surgery and missed the 2011 NFL season.
The Colts released Manning in 2012, and he went on to sign with the Denver Broncos. The veteran quarterback spent four seasons in the Mile High City, and he led the team to two Super Bowl appearances. They lost the first to the Seattle Seahawks, but they won the second in what was Manning’s final game.
Brady, for comparison, began his NFL career with the New England Patriots. He led the team to nine Super Bowl appearances and six wins during his time in Foxborough. His time with the team came to an end after the 2019 season.
Brady moved over to the NFC and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. He immediately achieved success with the team and led them to Super Bowl LV where they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.
Another Driver Wants To Help Busch With This Goal
Busch has plans to achieve this goal, albeit in a different sport. He wants to win his third Cup Series championship while driving for Richard Childress Racing, which would make him part of an exclusive list.
Austin Dillon, Busch’s new teammate, has some plans of his own. He wants to help the two-time Cup Series champion achieve his goal as they both try to get Richard Childress Racing back to a point of greatness.
“I think everybody in the shop is just a little bit more — I don’t know how you’d say it — it’s not on edge. It’s an edge that, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get everything, we gotta cross our T’s, dot our I’s because we want to go out there and show the entire racing industry how good we really are and that we are stepping our performance up each year,” Dillon said.
“We’re getting back to where RCR was — on top of this stage every year in New York. They owned New York, Dale [Earnhardt] and RCR for a long time. So between Kyle and I and everybody at the shop, we want to uphold that. I want to be the first to win all three championships, and Kyle wants to continue to win championships. So I think we’ve got a good formula between the two of us to make some things happen.”
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Kyle Busch Compares His Contract Situation to 2 Iconic Athletes