Richard Childress Racing and 23XI Racing are believed to be the current frontrunners to sign Kyle Busch for the 2023 season as he weighs multiple offers to leave Joe Gibbs Racing, according to a report by Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal. The report comes after Busch acknowledged publicly last week that he has "paper in front of me" from more than one team interested in hiring him.
A return to Joe Gibbs Racing for Busch is reportedly seen as unlikely, as the team was unable to find a suitable sponsor to replace the departing Mars Inc. and would save $10 million in annual salary by dropping Busch in favor of a cheaper alternative. In this case, that alternative is likely Ty Gibbs, the grandson of Joe Gibbs and a star in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Teams that have been said to be in talks to sign Busch include Kaulig Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing, in addition to Richard Childress Racing and 23XI, with Stern reporting that RCR is seen as the "most likely" destination for Busch.
In the event that Busch signs with Richard Childress Racing or 23XI Racing -- the latter marking a lateral move within Toyota -- it is uncertain exactly where the two-time Cup champion would fit.
If he joins RCR, Busch could either drive a third car for the team or replace Tyler Reddick, who recently announced that he would leave the team following 2023 to move to 23XI, as the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet. If he joins 23XI, it could also either be in a third car or as a replacement for his older brother Kurt Busch as the driver of the No. 45 Toyota. Kurt Busch is under contract for 2023, but has not been medically cleared to return to racing since dealing with concussion-like symptoms following a crash at Pocono in July.
Should Busch ultimately leave Joe Gibbs Racing, it would mark as prominent a divorce as NASCAR has seen in quite some time.
Busch has driven the No. 18 Toyota for Gibbs since 2008, and he has since become one of the most successful drivers of his generation. In total, 56 of Busch's 60 career Cup wins and both of his Cup championships in 2015 and 2019 have come while driving for JGR.
