NASCAR: 5 possible landing spots for Kyle Busch in 2023
By Asher Fair
Possible Kyle Busch landing spots: No. 2 – Stewart-Haas Racing
The most obvious option for Kyle Busch if he ends up leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season had been Stewart-Haas Racing, as they were the lone established contender that had at least one seat without a confirmed driver for 2023.
Aric Almirola announced before the 2022 season began that the 2022 season would be his final season competing full-time in the Cup Series, leaving the #10 Ford without a confirmed driver for 2023. But Almirola has since announced that he will not be retiring, instead deciding to sign a multi-year extension.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that Stewart-Haas Racing is out of the picture.
Behind the wheel of the #41 Ford, Cole Custer continues to underperform. It has been more than two years since he has finished higher than ninth place in a race, and while Stewart-Haas Racing haven’t been at their best over those last two years, all three of their other drivers have managed to win during that span.
Stewart-Haas Racing executive Joe Custer is Cole’s father, which has led many to believe that he will indeed be back for a fourth season behind the wheel of the #41 Ford next year, but at some point, serious questions need to start being asked.
Busch has admitted that he has been in talks with other teams, and there is rumored to be a Ford team in the mix. You would be silly not to believe that Tony Stewart is absolutely licking his chops with the prospects of signing the two-time champion, especially given his tendency to take big swings in the past.
While the team have indicated that the plan is to bring back all four of their current drivers in 2023, they stopped short of formally confirming Custer’s return. In this day and age of silly season madness, anything shy of confirmation is effectively meaningless.