Indy 500: Kyle Busch to McLaren for 2023?

If Kyle Busch competes in the 2023 Indy 500, he would need to do so for a Chevrolet team. Could that team be Arrow McLaren SP?

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has shown continued interest in landing an opportunity to compete in the Indy 500, and he initially got approval to do so after winning his second Cup Series title in 2019.

Busch, who said that he had a deal lined up to compete in the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana back in 2016 before one “boss” wouldn’t allow him to run it, didn’t get the opportunity to do so in 2020, 2021, or 2022, despite having been granted approval from Joe Gibbs Racing.

He remains interested in the opportunity to run the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and thus the Memorial Day Double like his brother Kurt did in 2014.

With Busch having signed a multi-year deal with Richard Childress Racing, he is set to leave Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota at the end of the year, ending a 15-year relationship.

Notably, his contract states that he may still compete in the Indy 500.

The only catch is that Busch would have to run the race for Chevrolet. Ironically, the same was true during his final three years at Joe Gibbs Racing.

At Joe Gibbs Racing, the 37-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native competed against the bowtie brand in the Cup Series, but there are only two engine manufacturers in IndyCar: Chevrolet and Honda. Honda happen to be global rivals with Toyota, so making Chevrolet Busch’s only option made sense.

As far as Richard Childress Racing is concerned, the reason is much simpler: they are a Chevrolet team.

As far as Chevrolet teams are concerned, you obviously can’t ignore 18-time Indy 500-winning organization Team Penske. The only time team president Tim Cindric ever ruled out Busch competing in the race for the team was for 2020, so the idea itself isn’t one the team seem to be opposed to. Will Power has admitted that he would welcome Busch to the team.

But if Busch doesn’t land a ride with Roger Penske’s team, Arrow McLaren SP may be the next best option.

Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports had a driver fail to qualify for the 2018 race. McLaren had a driver fail to qualify for the 2019 race.

But the two organizations formed a partnership in 2020, and over the last three seasons, they have become one of the top teams on the grid.

And McLaren have shown no hesitance when it comes to signing high-profile drivers during that span.

In fact, Arrow McLaren SP have secured all but one of the five non-Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar wins going back to September 2016 — more than three years before they even existed.

Arrow McLaren SP would be a perfect fit for Busch for that reason: he would have the opportunity to be competitive.

And Kyle Busch would be a perfect fit for Arrow McLaren SP.

Arrow McLaren SP are known for fielding an extra Indy 500 entry to go along with their two full-time entries, and they have historically fielded entries for some big-name drivers.

They fielded a third car for two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso in 2020, and they fielded a third car for two-time Indy 500 winner and 1999 CART champion Juan Pablo Montoya, who also previously competed in Formula 1 and NASCAR, in 2021 and 2022.

A deal almost came together to run a third car in select races for 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button throughout the 2021 season as well.

In 2023, they are set to become a three-car team for the first time. Will they add a fourth car for the Indy 500?

Given their interest in Busch, it seems that it’s not out of the question, and there are reportedly already “serious” discussions about making it happen.

And why not? Busch knows his way around the Brickyard quite well, having scored two wins at NASCAR’s highest level at the oval.

If Kyle Busch competes in the 107th running of the Indy 500 on Sunday, May 29, 2023, will he do so behind the wheel of a fourth Chevrolet-powered car for Arrow McLaren SP, or will he end up with one of the other Chevrolet teams on the grid?