Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson told NBC Sports that the manufacturer has to "have contingency plans" in the event that Kyle Busch does not return to Joe Gibbs Racing, taking a much less optimistic tone than had previously been expressed by both Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing officials.
With no sponsor to replace Mars Inc. in place by mid-July, Kyle Busch admitted last week at New Hampshire that he has spoken to other teams about 2023. While Wilson discussed the possibility that Toyota could create "a bridge" to keep Busch at Gibbs even without a major sponsor in place, he did not mince words when asked if he was confident if Busch would be back with the team.
"I wish I could handicap it for you … but I just can't. We're in a bad place right now," Wilson said. "… We've got some tremendously heavy lifting in front of us."
Wilson shared that talks with one potential sponsor fell through and reset the sponsorship search -- in a difficult economy nonetheless -- and used the analogy that the concerned parties are "in the bottom of the seventh" without a sponsor in place. Wilson stressed that neither Toyota nor Joe Gibbs Racing have given up on getting a deal done, something that was expressed to Busch as Wilson acknowledged how the uncertainty concerning his future has become a distraction.
"I think he admitted this, but the distraction now is real," Wilson said. "While I say that Kyle is one of those athletes that can strap on his helmet and put that aside, he's still human.
"So, my counsel to him (this past weekend) was around the partnership and how important this remains for Toyota and for Coach Gibbs. Made sure he knew we hadn't given up. Just urged him to keep his head in the game and maintain a collaborative perspective because we're going to need him to get this done as well. … It's a different marketplace and we're facing some headwinds with the economy that everybody is facing."
Kyle Busch has become the flagship driver for Toyota since joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, and in his most recent comments to the media indicated that there was no set timetable or deadline for a deal to get done. On the surface, there are only two major open seats -- the No. 10 at Stewart-Haas Racing and the No. 42 at Petty GMS -- that Busch could fill in the event he leaves Gibbs.
"It would be nice sooner (rather) than later, but honestly it doesn't matter how soon or how late it gets done," Busch said. "Until there's an announcement that somebody else is driving the No. 18 car, then I feel like I still have a seat."
The continued angst over trying to find a new sponsor for Busch comes ahead of this weekend at Pocono Raceway, when Mars Inc. will celebrate its legacy in NASCAR by sponsoring the M&M's Fan Appreciation 400. The M&M's brand has adorned a Cup car full-time since 1999, with drivers like Ernie Irvan, Ken Schrader, Elliott Sadler and David Gilliland preceding Busch in carrying its colors.
