Kyle Busch Still Eager for a Joe Gibbs Racing Reunion Despite Bitter Past, Claims Insider

In 2022, Richard Childress Racing roped in a stellar Cup driver, hoping to turn around their fortunes. Instead, the racer got caught up in their streak of misery. Kyle Busch has been winless since his Gateway victory last season. Its anniversary has already passed with no squeak of good luck on Busch’s side. Moreover, that race put the driver outside playoff contention.

This bleak situation may inspire nostalgic feelings in Kyle Busch. The current RCR no. 8 driver led a successful 15-year-old stint at Joe Gibbs Racing. He accumulated most of his wins there, although he left the team on a bitter note. Maybe now he is regretting his decision?

Kyle Busch is looking over his shoulder, says insider

Since the 2024 Cup season kicked off, whispers of Kyle Busch’s comeback turned into hopelessness. He has only two top-five and four top-ten finishes, which starkly contrasts his 63-Cup winning record. Recently, NASCAR fans lashed out at the No. 8 pit team for technical troubles in Charlotte. The team had gone through multiple shuffles already, with no hope in sight.

Richard Childress inducted Busch into his fold hoping to finally snag an RCR championship after 30 years, as Dale Earnhardt won it in 1994. However, Rowdy may not be as eager as he was in 2023. Recently, senior NASCAR writer Candice Spencer mentioned the only hurdle for Kyle Busch in rejoining his previous, luckier team. “I asked him at Kansas Speedway, what’s your contract situation for next year? And he said I’m still under contract. He signed a deal that was two years on an option and I verified that with the office at RCR.” 

The multi-year contract that Kyle Busch signed at the beginning of 2023 binds him. If it was a two-year deal, Spencer believes Busch’s exit would rung in our ears far before Stewart-Haas Racing’s shuttering did. “Had that not been the case, yes, he would’ve been the first in line to go back to Joe Gibbs Racing. But now that’s another scene that’s open.”

However, going back to JGR has its caveat. Kyle Busch’s departure from Joe Gibbs’ fold was not on good terms, as the team could not procure enough sponsorship. JGR put their weight on one sponsor, Oracle, which seemed unlikely to back Busch just after signing a hefty F1 deal. But when Busch asked Gibbs to look elsewhere, he offered a contract instead. Busch explained early this year, “I didn’t feel like that was fair for the 15 years that I was there; I didn’t want Joe putting his own money into the program.”

Now Kyle Busch may be reconsidering his decision with the massive luckless streak at RCR. Yet he admitted one positive factor he gleaned from his current team membership.

Busch’s reputation received a boost

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For the longest time, Kyle Busch was known more for his Rowdy nickname. He used to be a brash youngster who snatched success at the cost of popular miffed veterans. Now being a veteran himself, he tries to fend off newcomers. Plus instead of getting boos from the stands, cheers ring out in favor of Busch. This change came partly due to Denny Hamlin’s replacement as NASCAR’s black hat and also coincided with Busch’s entry into RCR.

Kyle Busch felt his involvement with Richard Childress upped his reputation. Talking to The Athletic, he said, “I feel as though the move from JGR Toyota to RCR Chevrolet was a big deal in the fan base and the eyes of casual and avid fans if you will. Just kind of like, ‘OK, well, we love this. This is a great mix.’ … People are just excited for me to be a part of the legacy of RCR. And they love the legacy of RCR and Richard and everything that they’re about, so they’ve given me my fair shot, and I think it’s going well.”

Yet as the 2024 season progressed, Busch may have changed this bright opinion about his team. Now we can only wait and watch his movement in RCR.