July 30, 2022 | By Lee Spencer

Kyle Busch finds unexpected ally in Kevin Harvick as he tests the free agent market

When it comes to the job front, Kyle Busch had nothing new to report regarding his status for 2023 and beyond. 

The 37-year-old racer—and only two-time Cup champion currently competing in NASCAR—has amassed multiple titles and 56 Cup wins since moving to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008. 

Since Mars Wrigley’s announced in December that 2022 would be its final year sponsoring the No. 18 Toyota, JGR has scrambled to find a replacement. The challenge to acquire a new partner has made negotiations difficult between the winningest Gibbs driver and JGR’s front office. 

“It's tough, right? You have to have sponsorship in this sport to be able to go forward,” Busch said on Saturday. “It's not as simple as being a basketball player and being a Michael Jordan or LeBron James or something like that and being a really good player and the team losing a sponsor and then saying, ‘OK, Michael, LeBron you guys, we’ve got to let you go because we can’t afford you. 

“You have to have some sponsorship on that car and, unfortunately, right now there's just not that Unicorn. There's not that big $20 million number out there, so I'd like to be able to piece it together. But haven't heard much on that yet either.” 
Despite rumors to the contrary, Busch says compensation is not the hold-up.
 
“I don't think money has ever been the objective or ever been the issue,” Busch said. “Obviously, I know where the sports landscape is. I know what's happening and the talk from my side was that I know there needs to be concessions made to race for under my market value and I've accepted that and have told everybody that and I'm just trying to see where all that lies.” 

Busch acknowledged he has spoken to other teams about what opportunities might by available. Two of the potential openings would be at Richard Childress Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. Tyler Reddick is scheduled to move on in 2024—perhaps sooner if team owner Richard Childress holds a grudge. At Stewart-Haas, Aric Almirola announced he was retiring at year’s end and Cole Custer still hasn’t solidified his plans for next year.

Kevin Harvick could prove to be Busch’s greatest advocate in the garage. Harvick, who turned the No. 4 team into the flagship squad at SHR, was extremely vocal in extolling the benefits of bringing a driver of Busch’s caliber into any NASCAR organization
 
“I’d hire Kyle Busch today,” Harvick said. “He’d have a great impact on the performance of our team, just the urgency to do some things better.” 

When asked whether management at SHR had broached the possibility of adding Busch to the roster, Harvick added, “Nobody has called me and asked me about Kyle Busch, but that’s pretty typical.” 

Busch, who qualified 10th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, said neither he nor JGR has a drop-dead date for finalizing a deal. Both Gibbs and Toyota Racing Development’s David Wilson have discussed the “heavy lifting” required to retain Busch. 

Still, with the driver operating the premier truck series team and driver development factory—Kyle Busch Motorsports—it stands to reason that Toyota would see the added value he brings to the table. 

Nevertheless, for Busch, KBM has been a blessing and a curse.

“I would think that it is (a bonus),” Busch said. “But it could also be a little bit of a burden and a headache for some of the other teams you talk to--they don’t want to carry the burden of that; they don't want anything to do with it. So that’s a frustration, too.

“But there are 50 families over there that are important to me, that we keep that thing going as best as I possibly can. Obviously, I have to look out for myself and my family’s future, but obviously all of them. There are a lot of sleepless nights.”

When it comes to options, Busch said, “the white board is quite full,” when it comes to adding one year or two to his current JGR contract. Anything is on the table—but preferably a contract where he’ll never have to enter the negotiation process again. 

With a franchise player such as Busch, Harvick went as far as saying he would entertain starting his own team or resurrecting KHI if the right financial partner came on board. Even in the short term, Harvick understands Busch’s value.

“There is no way that Kyle Busch doesn't have a lot of options,” Harvick said. “I know there are a lot of things that go on around Kyle. But in the end, Kyle is still one of the best that has ever come through this garage. There are a lot of teams out there that can say they probably have never had one of those types of drivers. He could literally rebuild a whole organization if someone took the chance that hasn’t had one of those types of drivers.

“With the right circumstances, he could rebuild a whole organization with his pure talent. I get along great with Kyle. We’re going to race each other and be mad at each other, but I have a good relationship with Kyle. I can tell you, that having a teammate like Kyle is going to make my car run faster because when you have all the cars running fast, they all run faster, quicker. So, I’m 100-percent open to having Kyle as a teammate.”