Getty Kyle Busch will join Richard Childress Racing.
One of NASCAR‘s most successful partnerships will end after the 2022 season. The Athletic has reported that Kyle Busch will move to Richard Childress Racing after 15 seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing, 56 wins, and two championships.
Jordan Bianchi dropped the news on September 10 as the Xfinity Series drivers prepared to take on Kansas Speedway. He said that multiple sources told The Athletic that Busch will indeed move to Richard Childress Racing for the 2023 season. An announcement is expected on Tuesday, September 13.
Busch faced direct questions about a potential move to Richard Childress Racing on the morning of September 10. “I do not have any new news to share,” Busch said during his media availability. “If I did, I guarantee you there would be some sort of big announcement. … Still working on it behind the scenes trying to put it all together. It’s not done.”
There are obvious questions about Busch and his unique history with Richard Childress. The team owner famously told Austin Dillon to “hold my watch” at Kansas Speedway in 2011 before heading to the garage and punching Busch. This situation is long in the past, and it appears that it won’t be a hurdle standing in the way of him joining RCR.
“Who is to say he hasn’t punched me again in any of these conversations?” Busch joked during his media availability. “Whenever you go into negotiations, it’s never fun, so you’re duking the whole time. You grow up and you work through things. It was fine the first time I sat down with him.”
If this announcement takes place on September 13 as expected, it will likely provide clarity about another organization. Kyle Busch Motorsports, the winningest Truck Series team, is part of Toyota Racing Development. If Busch moves to RCR, it would make sense that KBM would also move over to Chevrolet.
“No, I’m definitely not comfortable with where that’s at yet,” Busch said about his team’s status. “Trying to put all the right things in the right places simultaneously was the objective and the goal. It’s not going to happen that way, but we will certainly keep fighting for that to make sure that KBM is at the forefront and we have a place to go race trucks next year.”
There Are Some Major Questions About This Move
GettyKyle Busch speaks to the media at Kansas Speedway.
Busch leaving Joe Gibbs Racing has been an expected move in recent weeks, but his joining Richard Childress Racing brings up some other questions. Specifically, will one of two prominent teams expand for the 2023 season?
RCR currently has Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick under contract for the 2023 season. Reddick will move over to 23XI Racing at the end of the year, but he reiterated on September 10 that his plan is to stay at RCR and finish out his contract.
Similarly, 23XI Racing has two drivers under contract for 2023. Kurt Busch has the No. 45 available to him for as long as he wants it while Bubba Wallace just signed a multi-year extension to stay in the No. 23.
There is a scenario where RCR could buy out Reddick’s remaining contract so he can head over to 23XI Racing one year early. However, Busch would either have to walk away from full-time competition, or Denny Hamlin will have to expand to three cars. He currently only has two charters.
“I don’t think so. I think Tyler would like to play out his contract at RCR and that’s what he’s always intended,” Hamlin said during a press conference on September 10. “We’ve not planned for anything otherwise. Kurt’s going to drive the 45 as far as we understand and unless he says differently and if he does say differently, then we have a couple options that we’re looking at. But we never intended on getting Tyler before 2024.”
RCR could also opt to expand to a third team for the 2023 season. Though they are in the same position as 23XI Racing. RCR would have to either buy a charter to accommodate Busch, Dillon, and Reddick, or the organization would have to run an open entry all season.
Sponsorship Also Remains an Unknown
The number of available seats is the biggest concern at RCR and 23XI Racing by extension. However, there is another prominent question that needs an answer prior to the 2023 Cup Series season.
According to Bianchi, the sponsorship situation is unclear. There are no details about whether RCR already has a new sponsor lined up to support Busch as he moves back to the Chevrolet camp.
The departure from Joe Gibbs Racing all began when Mars, Inc. announced that it would leave NASCAR at the end of the 2022 season. The longtime primary partner of Busch left a massive hole to fill, and JGR was not able to find a suitable replacement while simultaneously taking part in contract negotiations with Busch.
RCR has numerous partners split between Dillon and Reddick. Will one of these move over to Busch as he joins for the 2023 season, or will there be a new partner that jumps on and agrees to support the two-time Cup Series champion?