Indy 500: Kyle Busch landing spot ruled out?

Kyle Busch had once been linked to Arrow McLaren SP for the 2023 Indy 500, but that possibility is likely of the picture now.

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was the focal point of much of 2022 silly season. While a new deal with Joe Gibbs Racing was once seen as a formality, longtime primary sponsor M&M’s leaving the #18 Toyota threw a wrench into those plans.

Long story short, Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing could not agree to a new deal, and the former ended up signing with Richard Childress Racing, ending a 15-year relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota to reunite with Chevrolet, the manufacturer with which he began his Cup Series career at Hendrick Motorsports.

Busch’s new deal with Richard Childress Racing allows him to compete in the Indy 500, but only with a Chevrolet team.

Ironically, Busch had a similar deal in place at Joe Gibbs Racing during his last three years there, but he never competed in any IndyCar races.

While Toyota does not compete in IndyCar at the moment, and Busch competed against Chevrolet on a weekly basis as a Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Honda is a global rival of Toyota. So Chevrolet was, for lack of a better phrase, the lesser of two evils.

At Richard Childress Racing, the reason for his Chevrolet-only Indy 500 clause is simple: Richard Childress Racing are a Chevrolet-aligned organization.

Among IndyCar’s most competitive Chevrolet teams is Arrow McLaren SP, which secured Chevrolet’s top two finishing positions (second and fourth place) with Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, respectively, in this year’s Indy 500.

Almost right after Busch’s new deal was announced, team co-owner Sam Schmidt expressed interest in signing Busch to pilot an Indy 500 entry for the team in 2023.

The team have fielded a third Indy 500 in each of the last three years, and while they are expanding to three full-time entries with the addition of former Andretti Autosport driver Alexander Rossi, they plan to run a fourth car in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” next year.

Busch was reported to have been in “serious discussions” with Arrow McLaren SP for the 107th running of the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Speedway, Indiana oval, but no deal ended up being signed, and now that landing spot has all but been ruled out.

While Busch is a two-time Brickyard 400 winner, Arrow McLaren SP have opted to prioritize IndyCar and Indy 500 experience when making their decision as to who to put in the fourth car.

2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, who finished in third place in this year’s race with Chip Ganassi Racing, has emerged as the favorite. Two-time Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya compete for the team in each of the last two years and is also believed to be a candidate.

The 107th running of the Indy 500 is set to be broadcast live on NBC from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 28, 2023.