NASCAR: 3 possible landing spots for Kyle Busch in 2023

Kyle Busch’s future with Joe Gibbs Racing is uncertain beyond the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. Where will he end up in 2023?

The uncertainty about Kyle Busch’s future in the NASCAR Cup Series might have appeared to be a thing of the past following his surprise victory in the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Easter Sunday. But it definitely wasn’t.

Last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Busch, who will be losing longtime primary sponsor M&M’s after the 2022 season, claimed that he hoped to have things done “yesterday” in regard to a contract extension to continue driving the #18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023, though he stated that he isn’t “antsy about it.”

He then stated, “If it happens, it happens. If it don’t, it don’t. Goodbye.” When asked to elaborate, he told reporters to ask Joe Gibbs, stating that it wasn’t his problem. Referencing sponsorship, he stated, “Got to sell it. If you don’t see it, then nothing to have”.

So where will Busch end up in 2023? Here are three possibilities.

Kyle Busch landing spots: No. 1 – Joe Gibbs Racing

Before the Kyle Busch retirement hype train heats up, let’s not forget that Joe Gibbs Racing is probably still his most likely landing spot for the 2023 season, and nothing he said indicated that he is in any way already on his way out, despite the fact that many took it that way.

He has long been a master of playing the media and making entertaining statements, and this may very well have been no different.

Interestingly, Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson stated that he was a “little disappointed” in Busch’s comments, according to NBC Sports. He stated the following.

"“Our vision, Joe’s and our vision, Toyota’s vision, is for Kyle to retire out of Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. He is clearly a little frustrated and that’s understandable to a point. Little disappointed that he voiced it, to be fair, but he knows —he knows — because Joe talks to him a lot of the time how hard we are collectively working to make sure that we have a place for him for as long as he wants to stay.”"

Could that disappointment lessen the chance of a deal getting done, or is Wilson serious in terms of Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing doing everything they can to continue on with Busch?

Gibbs himself later commented.

But as long as nothing is confirmed, there are other possibilities to consider.

Kyle Busch landing spots: No. 2 – Nowhere

By no means is there a guarantee of a deal getting done. Kyle Busch confirmed in the aforementioned interview that it really is all about sponsorship at this point, and if he or the team can’t come up with it, then it could very well be “goodbye”.

Notice, we said “nowhere” and not “retirement”, and Busch’s response when asked about the latter term was that “I would say I lose my ride” instead of using the word “retire”.

While it’s stating the obvious to say that neither Busch nor Joe Gibbs Racing truly want this to happen, the latter already have an obvious replacement lined up to drive the #18 Toyota, or whatever other car ends up becoming available first at the four-car Toyota powerhouse.

Ty Gibbs, Joe’s grandson, has taken the Xfinity Series by storm since he started competing there last year. He won four races in 18 starts as a part-time driver in 2021, and he has earned three victories in 10 races in a full-time role so far this season, placing him atop the provisional playoff picture.

While he does drive the fastest car in the garage, he has actually delivered, which is something that many others in top-tier equipment can’t say, and he has done so straight from the get-go as well.

There would surely be questions about his maturity and his ability to handle a promotion to the sport’s top level, but he is sitting pretty in terms of landing one as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Even if this isn’t it, don’t expect to wait much longer before he is competing on Sundays.

But let’s imagine that Gibbs does replace Busch and Busch still ends up in Cup Series, competing for a team outside Joe Gibbs Racing.

Kyle Busch landing spots – No. 3 – Stewart-Haas Racing

This is a pretty far-fetched idea when you think about it, but if there is no room at Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch does want to stick around, perhaps a switch to Stewart-Haas Racing and Ford, his first team/manufacturer switch since leaving Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota after the 2007 season, could be pieced together.

We know for a fact that Stewart-Haas Racing will be altering their driver lineup after the 2022 season, something that they had done for five consecutive offseasons prior to this past one, when they retained all four of their drivers from last year.

Aric Almirola announced before the season began that this will be his fifth and final season for the team as well as his 15th and final season in the Cup Series, leaving the #10 Ford without a confirmed driver for next year.

Additionally, there has been recent speculation that Cole Custer’s future behind the wheel of the #41 Ford could be in jeopardy. He has struggled in the Cup Series, specifically relative to his teammates, and that hasn’t changed much in year number three.

Regardless, we know Tony Stewart isn’t shy about trying to make a huge splash. He publicly stated that he would have tried to sign Kyle Larson, then coming off a suspension, for the 2021 season, but Ford wouldn’t allow him to do so, given the controversy that led to Larson’s suspension.

If Busch becomes a free agent and Stewart-Haas Racing have two — or even one — seat/seats open, how does anybody involved in this decision-making process pass this up?

One thing is for sure. If Busch ends up competing in 2023 for a team other than Joe Gibbs Racing, he isn’t going to want to run 23rd every week. Stewart-Haas Racing is one of the few safe bets to make sure that doesn’t happen, and they may very well have an opportunity to offer him.