NASCAR: Kyle Busch’s Richard Childress Racing deal ‘not done’

Kyle Busch is set to move from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, though the deal is “not done”.

According to a report from The Athletic, Kyle Busch is set to leave Joe Gibbs Racing after 15 years and join Richard Childress Racing for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

There has been speculation about what Busch’s future might hold for the last few months, once it became evident that another year behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota was no guarantee with the impending departure of primary partner Mars Wrigley — and the fact that another once promising sponsorship development fell through.

Richard Childress Racing was one of the five teams which, at some point over the last five months, was considered the “favorite” to land the services of the two-time champion in 2023, even though they only emerged as such over the last week or so.

However, according to Busch, it’s not yet a done deal.

When asked if he will be going to Richard Childress Racing next year just before the report came out, here is what he had to say.

"“I do not have any new news to share. If I did, I guarantee there would be some sort of big announcement. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been one of those yet. We’re still working on it behind the scenes trying to put it all together. It’s not done.”"

With that being said, it is still expected that Busch will indeed be changing teams for the first time in a decade and a half following the 2022 season; he likely isn’t allowed to say anything yet.

An official announcement is set to be made this coming Tuesday, meaning that the deal is expected to indeed be “done” by then.

And while this ultimately proved to be another “announcement before the announcement” situation, there are still some key factors that haven’t yet been publicized.

Will Busch be joining the team in a third car, with both Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick under contract for 2023? Could Busch replace Dillon behind the wheel of the #3 Chevrolet for a year before Reddick leaves for 23XI Racing, the team with which he signed for 2024? Could he replace Reddick behind the wheel of the #8 Chevrolet a year early?

If Reddick doesn’t drive the #8 Chevrolet next year, where will he be? Will he get something of a stopgap ride with a Richard Childress Racing/Chevrolet-affiliated team until joining 23XI Racing?

Or will he replace Kurt Busch, whose health has resulted in an uncertain future behind the wheel of the #45 Toyota, despite the fact that his contract runs through 2023? Might 23XI Racing even expand to three cars to land Reddick a year early?

Here’s one: could Toyota secure Reddick’s services a year early and put him in the #18 Toyota, giving Ty Gibbs another season in the Xfinity Series — but therefore guaranteeing him a Cup ride for 2024? Or is Gibbs a lock to replace Kyle Busch in 2023?

And then there’s the subject of Kyle Busch Motorsports. What kind of changes are on the horizon for the currently Toyota-aligned team? Is a switch to Chevrolet a certainty, and if so, what happens next?

While Busch is set to join Richard Childress Racing, even without a “done” deal, there are still many questions that need to be answered well before the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.