The official announcement will come on Tuesday, however Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic broke the information over the weekend that two-time NASCAR Cup Collection champion Kyle Busch will drive for Richard Childress Racing in 2023.
The choice takes a load off Busch’s thoughts. Now that he is aware of for sure he’s achieved with Joe Gibbs Racing and has his touchdown spot, Busch can concentrate on this 12 months as he appears to be like for a pathway again to the Championship 4 and maybe a 3rd title.
However Busch’s resolution will generate ripple results. So, how does his transfer to RCR have an effect on the 2023 season?
Kyle Busch has opened up a seat for Ty Gibbs at JGR
Executives at Joe Gibbs Racing undoubtedly had been honest within the spring after they stated they supposed to maintain Ty Gibbs within the Xfinity Collection for an additional season earlier than bringing him as much as drive a NASCAR Cup Collection automobile. Although he was enormously profitable, successful 4 occasions, Gibbs solely raced 18 occasions within the second-tier sequence.
He has continued to excel in 2022 with a series-best 5 victories, although some early-season scraps raised issues about his maturity and problem-solving abilities within the warmth of racing. Thus, another season within the Xfinity Collection would have made sense, particularly with the gifted roster JGR has within the Cup Collection.
Nonetheless, Kurt Busch’s crash throughout qualifying at Pocono has taken him out of 23XI Racing’s No. 45 Toyota, maybe for the rest of the season. The 23XI staff known as upon Gibbs to fill in, and he has carried out admirably. He completed between 10th and 17th in 5 of the seven begins coming into the Kansas playoff race.
With Kyle Busch exiting after 15 seasons at JGR, the proprietor’s grandson possesses a transparent path to a full-time Cup Collection experience in 2023.
Kyle Busch’s brother holds the important thing for 23XI Racing
Tyler Reddick dedicated two months in the past to leaving Richard Childress Racing after subsequent season to drive for 23XI Racing in 2024. From the outset, hypothesis had Kurt Busch retiring after subsequent season to open a seat for Reddick.
Now that Kyle Busch’s older brother has been out of the No. 45 Toyota because the July 23 mishap at Pocono, hypothesis is rampant that Kurt Busch gained’t race once more.
With Ty Gibbs being unavailable, Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan face the prospect of hiring a alternative. Whereas it’s not totally out of the query that 23XI may pry Reddick free from RCR a 12 months early, that situation has at all times been thought of a protracted shot.
As such, the problem turns into discovering a driver keen to simply accept he is likely to be strolling right into a one-and-done season since Bubba Wallace and his profitable sponsorship offers aren’t going wherever.
Then once more, 23XI may decide to increasing for the second time in three years by buying a 3rd constitution in time for Reddick’s arrival.
Richard Childress Racing has extra drivers than charters for now
It helps that proprietor Richard Childress has an distinctive driver in Kyle Busch coming aboard, however he’d undoubtedly slightly run three automobiles in 2023 than let Tyler Reddick depart early. Reddick may also like another run within the very robust No. 8 Chevy.
“I feel Tyler wish to play out his contract at RCR and that’s what he’s at all times supposed,” 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin stated, in accordance with NBC Sports activities. “We’ve not deliberate for something in any other case.”
Childress isn’t going to jettison grandson Austin Dillon, particularly coming off a victory and playoff look, so he’ll contemplate shopping for or leasing a 3rd constitution. If he can’t swing that, then Dillon will run the season with no constitution.
The doubtless situation is that RCR slightly than 23XI turns into the primary to go to a few charters and automobiles, conserving in thoughts that one other participant (Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Floyd Mayweather Jr.? Justin Marks?) may enter the bidding, too.
All stats courtesy of Racing Reference.
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