NASCAR: 5 possible landing spots for Kyle Busch in 2023
By Asher Fair
Without a deal for 2023, Kyle Busch remains the top free agent on the NASCAR Cup Series driver market. Where will he end up?
Several months after Kyle Busch made cryptic comments about his contract status with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season at Talladega Superspeedway, the current driver of the #18 Toyota is still without a deal to return to the team for what would be a 16th season next year.
While a return is certainly still possible, there are many who believe that Busch will be competing elsewhere in 2023, especially since what was once a promising sponsorship development recently fell through.
With that in mind, where will Busch end up next year? Here are five possibilities.
Possible Kyle Busch landing spots: No. 1 – Joe Gibbs Racing
We cannot ignore the obvious: there is still a chance that Kyle Busch will be back for what would be a 16th season behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing next year.
Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota have admitted that there is no timetable on when they want to find a sponsor to replace M&M’s to keep Busch with the organization, and while that could technically translate to Busch shoring up his future elsewhere in the meantime, considering the fact that he has had discussions with other teams, Busch obviously wants to remain where he is.
The sport’s highest paid driver has even admitted that he would be willing to take a pay cut if it means staying behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota — and he might even be willing to take a pay cut just to sign a one-year deal, thus giving all parties involved more time to work out something for the long haul.
But there are still those who believe that Busch will end up elsewhere in 2023, as he has been in contact with other teams — despite the fact that Joe Gibbs Racing have indeed made him an offer. Where might elsewhere be?