Fans Accuse Joe Gibbs of Sabotaging Kyle Busch’s JGR Ride After Martin Truex Jr Replacement’s Shocking Revelation

Anything is possible for Kyle Busch regarding speculations of a potential return to Joe Gibbs Racing or even Hendrick Motorsports. After all, his sophomore year at Richard Childress Racing would break even the toughest of champions. And if three DNFs in the last four weeks, coupled with his worst-ever start to a season weren’t enough, JGR’s former Candyman won’t be feeling too sweet knowing his window for a move back has duly disappeared, thanks to a certain Chase Briscoe.

And if that wasn’t enough either, tidings of Briscoe’s new contract may leave Busch feeling a little Rowdy, at least that’s what the fans seem to think. Coach Gibbs’ contradictory ‘acceptance’ of the new #19 driver has fanned some highly controversial flames calling for sponsorship bias against his former #18 driver.

From superstar to sponsorless at Joe Gibbs Racing

In a recent update by Jeff Gluck on Twitter, following JGR’s official announcement about SHR’s #14 departee replacing Martin Truex Jr, he informed audiences: “Chase Briscoe in this news conference says Joe Gibbs Racing was the only team he met with who never asked him what sponsorship money he could bring.” In separate updates, Bass Pro Shops signed a multi-year deal to sponsor Chase Briscoe for the entirety of his contract with JGR.

This opened up a jar of worms for the collective NASCAR community because the lack of sponsors played a major part in Busch’s departure from JGR at the end of the 2022 season. Most of those woes stemmed from Mars Incorporated (the umbrella brand of M&M’s), ending their 15-year association with Joe Gibbs Racing and the #18 team that used to reel in a cool $20 million annually. That was quite the hit for Coach who had introduced a fourth full-time car into his Cup Series operations not even a decade ago with Carl Edwards & the #19.

So bad were the situations, as Busch later revealed to Jordan Bianchi, that his former organization offered him a contract before his RCR deal, but apparently “they weren’t going to have sponsorship on the (#18) car.” Rowdy explained how this influenced his decision to switch to Richard Childress‘ race team in 2023 as he “didn’t want Joe putting his own money into the program.” 

Although a 500-million-dollar deal with Red Bull F1 partners Oracle, a computer tech company based out of Austin, TX, sent rumors flying at the time, nothing would transpire into reality for Kyle Busch. And come 2023, he unofficially kicked off his advances with his new race team driving the #8 Chevy partnered with BetMGM at the Busch Light Clash.

Rowdy would round off his rookie season at RCR with three wins, 7 top-5s, and a spot in the playoffs. He ultimately bowed out of the post-season in the Round of 12 with decent performances. But his previous season at JGR, his penultimate, left Rowdy flabbergasted, to say the least. After blowing his engine twice in two different races in the playoffs, it did not present a good look for a two-time Cup champ, also the first driver to give Toyota Racing Development a win in NASCAR with Joe Gibbs Racing back in 2008.

Many compare those fortunes from 2022 with Busch’s recent run of form that has resulted in three DNFs through the last four weeks. Some even distastefully call ‘self-sabotage’ on the part of Rowdy, based on his radio silence to the media after crashing three times and then exiting his car without further explanations in New Hampshire.

The sentiment originates from the idea that Busch is unhappy about his lack of decent equipment, well-documented with these RCR cars in the 2024 season. But heading into Nashville, fans have interestingly claimed sabotage on the part of Joe Gibbs Racing in light of the #18 team’s sponsor discrepancy against the new #19.

Is Kyle Busch heading for another farewell tour in 2024?

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Turning eyes away from Kyle Busch’s Richard Childress ride, the grandstands voiced some unique observations on Jeff Gluck’s updates on Chase Briscoe’s sponsorship situation at JGR. The race team currently boasts a portfolio that would be envied by the best in Motorsports, with the likes of FedEx, Monster Energy, Rheem, and many others in the fold. But as this fan opined on Gluck’s tweet, “Kyle Busch cannot relate (to any of that).”

In all fairness, RCR has ensured that Busch and the #8 team won’t be doing all that bad for themselves either. Deals with companies like 3CHI, Cheddar, Lenovo, and brand new anchor sponsors, Zone Premium Nicotine Pouches only add to all the appeal surrounding Kyle Busch and his weekly advances in the recent regard. This leads us to a notable question in the comments box of Gluck’s post that read, “Didn’t Kyle Busch leave JGR because Joe couldn’t find him a sponsor?” To counter that question, it is safe to say that the fallout from those events is duly in the past, albeit barely significant.

Others opined that “They (JGR) were just out to screw KB lmao” while others were quick to judge that “Joe Gibbs didn’t afford Busch the same luxury” as Briscoe. In all fairness, the 2008 handshake between Busch and JGR happened under different circumstances than it would in 2024.

One fan expressed his bewilderment and wrote, “That’s wild since that’s the exact reason Busch left.” Another jibed in with some comedic ‘unrelated news’ that sarcastically claimed, “Kyle Busch was spotted banging his head against the nearest wall over and over.” That sentiment is not completely unknown, especially since diehards made similar jokes before the Nashville race when one of JGR’s motor homes mysteriously caught fire in the infield. Much of it is just senseless ramblings from the over-passionate Kyle Busch admirer, or the contrary but more popular ‘critic.’

Regardless, to change his narrative, the #8 team warrants some drastic changes. Otherwise, the 2024 season might end up being another farewell tour for Kyle Busch, who has already driven for three of the biggest teams in NASCAR.