Kyle Busch leaves Joe Gibbs Racing in rearview, joins Richard Childress for 2023
Kyle Busch will race the No. 8 Chevy for the NASCAR Cup series in 2023
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kyle Busch will be driving for a new team in 2023.
The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion revealed Tuesday he will drive for Richard Childress Racing next season, ending his 15-season run with Joe Gibbs Racing. He will also move from Toyota to Chevrolet and be in the driver’s seat for the No. 8 car.
"I’ll be taking my talents to Welcome, North Carolina, to drive the No. 8 car starting in 2023," Busch said at a news conference.
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Kyle Busch speeds around turn one during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 on Sept. 4, 2022, at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. (David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Tyler Reddick currently drives the No. 8 for Richard Childress Racing and will move to a new car in 2023. Reddick already has plans to join 23XI Racing in 2024.
"RCR has an impressive history in NASCAR and I’m honored that Richard is putting his trust in me to come in and continue to build on that legacy," Busch said in a news release.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Growing up in a family of passionate racers myself, I feel like the culture that the Childress family has built within their organization will be an ideal fit for me. As I begin the next chapter of my career, I’m looking forward to driving for RCR and working with everyone there to add more wins and championships to both of our resumes."
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Kyle Busch signs autographs before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
Busch, the only active multi-champion driver on the circuit this season, wore his championship rings in an apparent message to his soon-to-be old boss.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Joe Gibbs had been trying to find a big-money sponsor to keep Busch in the No. 18 Toyota. Busch even said he’d drive for below his market value to get a deal done. Mars Wrigley announced last year it would not return to the team and the series and Gibbs’ reported talks with Oracle fell through.
While the year churned on, there was no progress on a deal for Busch to keep him in 2023 and he was forced to find a new team.
Busch and Richard Childress have a tense history. The two went after each other after a Truck series race at Kansas Speedway in 2011. The two have since put the past behind him.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Team owner and Hall of Fame member Richard Childress looks on prior to a NASCAR Xfinity auto race at Darlington Raceway on May 7, 2022, in South Carolina. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File)
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Busch had 56 of his 60 career Cup wins in a Toyota. He’s also the winningest driver in the Xfinity Series and Truck Series.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.