Will NASCAR’s highest paid driver take a pay cut?

The highest paid driver in the NASCAR Cup Series once faced an uncertain future at the sport’s top level. Even with a new deal, will he take a pay cut in 2023?

It should come as no surprise that Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch is currently the highest paid driver in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The 37-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native is the only active driver with multiple championships to his name, having won two titles in 2015 and 2019, and he leads all drivers in career victories with 60, good for ninth place on the all-time wins list.

According to Salary Sport, Busch’s salary of $16,900,000 clears the next highest Cup Series driver salary by nearly $4 million.

But will Busch take a pay cut to compete during the 2023 season?

That is a complicated question with no clear answer. Busch finished his 15th season with Joe Gibbs’s team behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota, but it was a contract year.

While an extension for a driver of his caliber would generally be seen as a formality, longtime primary partner M&M’s made the surprising announcement before the 2022 season started that this would be their 32nd and final year in the Cup Series.

As a result, there was a significant level of uncertainty surrounding Busch’s future — or lack thereof — with Joe Gibbs Racing, and he wasn’t shy about letting everyone know it.

He stated in April that he would have liked to have a deal done “yesterday”, adding that it very well could be “goodbye” after 2022.

Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson later made clear that, with M&M’s leaving, Joe Gibbs Racing simply couldn’t afford to pay Busch the type of salary he would command, unless they were able to land significant additional sponsorship money.

A promising sponsorship development emerged after these comments were made, but that deal ultimately fell through.

Would Busch sign a short-term, single-year deal with Joe Gibbs Racing, especially if it didn’t pay him what he feels he should be earning?

He admitted that he would be willing to take a pay cut to spend another year behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota, but the extent of such a cut was not specified.

He also admitted that he had been in contact with other teams about potential opportunities and had received several contract offers.

As we know now, he ultimately made the decision to leave Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota after 15 years and sign with Richard Childress Racing and Chevrolet.

Before his decision went public, Busch admitted that there would be a “big change” in 2023. While a switch in team and manufacturer certainly fits the bill, could it also include a salary reduction?

It’s possible, but if that were the case, it may have been simpler just to stay put at Joe Gibbs Racing, especially since this change meant that Kyle Busch Motorsports needed to switch manufacturers to continue competing in the Truck Series.