M&M’s leaving NASCAR has come as a shock to everyone in the sport. As we all know, the chocolate giant has been sponsoring the two-time Cup Series champion since 2008. However, the company has decided to leave the sport for good after the 2022 season. Unfortunately, this move has left Kyle Busch without a sponsor for 2023.
Kyle Busch looked back and talked about the loyalty of the company towards him over the years.
In 2017, the video of Kyle Busch punching Joey Logano went viral, drawing eyes from everywhere.
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Despite this, M&M’s stuck by Busch‘s side.
“No matter what controversy or rough times I went through or put everyone through, they took the time and effort to get to know myself, they got to know the Gibbs family, and so they got to know me at a personal level and didn’t always judge everything from a short clip they saw on TV or an article that was out there,” Busch told Sports Business Journal.
“That’s a huge reason why it was special for me for so long. We still have that kind of relationship with the family members today and something we’ll always have and means a lot to all of us.”
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It’s very unfortunate how the driver will lose his long-time sponsor next season. Moreover, there are no sponsorship prospects for the driver next year.
On top of that, losing this deal also impacts Joe Gibbs Racing.
How Does Kyle Busch’s Sponsor Hinder Joe Gibbs Racing?
Naturally, the leading factor is that one of the biggest sponsors for their star driver will leave the team. And this will make it difficult for JGR to run the #18 car.
But that’s not all.
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The annual cost of Joe Gibbs Racing is around $25 million, a decent bit of which was taken care of by the money they received from M&M’s.
Another reason is that M&M’s is one of the few business-to-consumer brands sponsoring a car in the Cup Series. The prevalence of business-to-business brands has increased considerably. Moreover, M&M’s is one of the longest-lasting sponsorship deals in the sport.
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In the end, it’s unfortunate for not just Busch, but also Joe Gibbs Racing. So, do you think Kyle will find a sponsor soon?