What Kyle Busch said about looming free agency ahead of NASCAR Cup Series playoffs
Kurt Busch confirmed to reporters at NASCAR’s Cup Series playoff media day that multiple teams have extended contract offers to the veteran driver, and he indicated that a deal might come to fruition soon.
The driver of the No. 18 Toyota, whose looming free agency has consumed headlines and clouded his playoff-caliber season, told reporters that there is “more than one that has paper in front of me,” referring to teams that have extended official contract offers.
Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass reported earlier this week that Richard Childress and Matt Kaulig — owners of Chevrolet teams — have indicated that they have had talks with the multi-time Cup Series champion. Busch did not confirm who the contract offers were from.
Busch also referenced a refrain he’s sung many times before: “Yes, Joe Gibbs Racing is still an option.”
When asked about when a potential deal will be made, Busch joked he wanted the deal done “yesterday,” adding: “I’m not going to put a timeline on it, but time is a-tickin’, and there are a lot of other options, and a lot of other dominoes that need to fall.”
Busch has been answering questions about his free agency for months, a result of the Mars Inc. decision to exit NASCAR at the end of the year, leaving Joe Gibbs Racing (Busch’s current team) without a primary sponsor for Busch’s No. 18 team.
The veteran driver told reporters that the decision has weighed on him.
“It weighs on you every time, every day of the week,” Busch said. “But I think that the best thing that I have for me is to be experienced and being able to go race on Sundays. I’m a racer, that’s all I know, so when I get to the racetrack every weekend, I put my helmet on, that’s what I focus on. Being by myself is when I do my best work inside that car, when I just gotta worry about making that car go fast.
“So you know, during the week, I probably have way more things to do or that’s going on than I’d like (instead) of being able to focus on making that car go fast on Sunday. But that will hopefully soon... be put to rest.”
Busch said that “the Truck Series option with Kyle Busch Motorsports has probably made this situation 80-85% harder than if it was just me.” That suggests that KBM’s Truck Series goes where Kyle Busch goes. He added, “I would’ve been done by now if it was just me.”
When asked if he can still win a championship this season, Busch shrugged and offered a pragmatic answer.
“I feel like we’re a top-five, top 6 team right now, where we’re at,” Busch said. “We just need to clean up some of our mistakes. Speeding off pit road, that’s on me. Running over the air hose, whatever. But some of the stuff that we had happen to us, we can’t really clean up because it’s not our doing. It’s getting caught up in wrecks and stuff like that.”
Busch then cracked a wide grin, and compared the stress of contract speculation to that he and other drivers will face in the upcoming playoffs.
“The stress of the last two or three months is probably as stressful as going through the round of eight. I’m already living it, I’m already there,” Busch said with a laugh. “These bozos haven’t been there yet. So wait until they feel it. They’re only going to have it for three weeks. I’ve dealt with it for three months. Bring it on.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 4:09 PM.
