NASCAR: The one thing Kyle Busch knows about his 2023 status

Kyle Busch only knows one thing about his status for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, and that is the fact that there will be a change.

Kyle Busch’s contract status has been the talk of this year’s NASCAR Cup Series silly season, and that talk has not shown any signs of slowing down.

When Busch made the cryptic remarks about his status with Joe Gibbs Racing at Talladega Superspeedway back in April, specifically remarks about wanting to have a deal done “yesterday” and the potential that it could be “goodbye”, many chalked it up to Kyle Busch being Kyle Busch.

Busch’s “clickbait” t-shirt the following weekend at Dover Motor Speedway only further justified that belief.

A contract extension was seen as nothing more than a formality for the sport’s most successful active driver, even with Mars Wrigley having announced after the 2021 season that they wouldn’t be back with the #18 Toyota in 2023.

Later on, a promising sponsorship development was hinted, and it appeared inevitable that the 37-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native would be back for a 16th season with Joe Gibbs Racing next year.

But that development ultimately fell through, and things have gotten less promising seemingly every day since that failed deal was revealed.

Over the weekend, Busch opened up on the stresses that this uncertainty has caused him throughout the 2022 season.

He had nothing to announce, but he did confirm that he knows one thing about his 2023 plans: there will be a change.

While some have speculated that this is confirmation Busch won’t be back behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota next year, there are dozens of potential ways things could change for the two-time champion next year.

Does it indeed mean he won’t be back with Joe Gibbs Racing next year? Does it mean he will be leaving Toyota completely? Could it even mean he finds himself outside of the NASCAR Cup Series as a whole? Could he opt to run full-time for his Kyle Busch Motorsports Truck Series team?

Or does it simply mean that the man who is currently the sport’s highest paid driver will be back with Joe Gibbs Racing, but on a smaller salary? Might it mean that he will only be returning on a one-year deal as opposed to a usual multi-year extension?

And let’s not forget the context. He stated that “there’s a big change coming” after talking about him and his family changing their lifestyle, so perhaps that response isn’t 100% driving related.

Even Busch might now know the answer to these questions, as talks with multiple teams are reportedly ongoing and there is nothing set in stone quite yet. As a result, the speculation is sure to continue until something has been announced — and in this day and age, it will probably take public confirmations from all parties involved to be deemed official.