Kyle Busch Shakes Up Primary Scheme for 7 Races

Kyle Busch

Getty Kyle Busch watches qualifying at Daytona International Speedway.

A two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will shake up his primary scheme for seven upcoming races. Kyle Busch will drive the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry while highlighting the new M&M’s Crunchy Cookie scheme.

Joe Gibbs Racing showcased the new scheme on March 29, ahead of its debut at Richmond Raceway. The No. 18 Toyota features a light blue base with two of the characters on the sides, each of which holds a Crunchy Cookie combining M&M’s and chocolate chip cookies. A smaller version of the Crunchy Cookie takes over the space on the rear bumper.

Busch will showcase this brand-new scheme during seven Cup Series races in 2022. He will first try to win his seventh race at Richmond Raceway during the Toyota Owners 400 on April 3. He will then bring the Crunchy Cookie scheme to six other races, including the July 10 Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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The Trip to Richmond Raceway Continues Busch’s Final Run With M&Ms

Kyle Busch

GettyKyle Busch drives the No. 18 Toyota Camry at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The No. 18 team is using the 2022 Cup Series season as a send-off for Mars and M&M’s. The sponsor announced on December 20, 2021, that it would exit NASCAR after one final season, ending a 30-year run in the sport and a 15-year partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing.

There will be several special schemes on display during the 2022 season while Busch and JGR celebrate their past successes with M&M’s. The trips to Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway both featured the Gen 7 version of a standard scheme that Busch has used in the past, but he brought back the special Ethel M Chocolates scheme for the trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Busch will also have a special scheme celebrating the fans. Mars launched a promotion ahead of the Daytona 500 in which supporters of Busch could submit photos on social media while tagging @mmschocolate and using the hashtags #MMSFANCAR #Sweepstakes. Mars and M&M’s will take these photos and use them to create a mosaic scheme for a race during the playoffs.


Fans Previously Selected Another Special Scheme for Busch

Prior to the playoffs, M&M’s will unveil another special scheme for a fan-favorite race. The partner will take over the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Throwback Weekend and will bring back a scheme from the past.

Fans of M&M’s and Busch were able to place their votes on March 10 and March 11 for their favorite scheme among five available options. This list included Ernie Irvan’s 1998 Las Vegas scheme with bright red numbers, Ken Schrader’s 2002 scheme, Elliott Sadler’s 2003 scheme, David Gilliland’s 2007 scheme, and Busch’s scheme from his first year with M&M’s (2008).

M&M’s has not revealed the scheme that will show up at Darlington Raceway on May 8. The longtime partner will provide this information as Throwback Weekend approaches. For now, M&M’s and Busch will focus on showcasing the Crunchy Cookie scheme that will surface during seven Cup Series races.

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