Brad Keselowski has heard the rumors and if they are true then Kyle Busch is out of a ride until Daytona and now without sponsorship. Busch was parked this week at Texas due to actions in the Camping World Truck Series when he wrecked fellow competitor Ron Hornaday under caution.
The #18 of Busch had been adorned with colors and products of Mars, namely their M&M candies. Mars was one of the few companies that still sponsored a car for the bulk of a season, something that will surely impact Joe Gibbs Racing going forward as any plans to run Busch in 2012 will require a new sponsor now.
Busch is the most polarizing figure in the NASCAR garage and was recently fined $50,000 for his actions in that truck series race.
UPDATE: Bob Pockrass of Scene Daily says on his twitter “On Kyle Busch: JGR still hasn’t confirmed if he’ll race Cup at PIR. I lean toward he’ll race but wouldn’t be surprised either way.”
UPDATE: Jayski.com notes that “the weekly race preview for JGR/Kyle Busch has not been released as of yet when it usually comes out on Tuesday.” Not sure if it means anything. With many teams making their way to Phoenix today, we could hear word from someone at Gibbs on whether Busch will drive the car or not.
UPDATE: AP reports Z-line designs has asked Joe Gibbs Racing to remove Busch from the Nationwide entry at Homestead. Denny Hamlin is expected to fill that seat.
UPDATE: David Newton of ESPN wrote the following just moments ago
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Aric Almirola told ESPN.com on Thursday he has been contacted by Joe Gibbs Racing about possibly replacing Kyle Busch in the final two Sprint Cup races and is awaiting final word from the organization.
ESPN’s Marty Smith reported on SportsCenter and NASCARNow that Busch, according to sources, will be in the No. 18 Cup car this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway and next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Multiple sources said the car likely will be sponsored by Interstate Batteries instead of M&Ms, which was scheduled to be on the car.
UPDATE An AP source at Yahoo Sports News has said they were told Kyle Busch will be racing the final two races, but with Interstate Batteries on his car and not M&M’s. They spoke anonymously as plans for Kyle’s future are still not known.
UPDATE: Jenna Fryer is claiming that M&M’s will be back on the #18 of Kyle Busch in 2012.
Isn’t it a little premature to be posting this? It is still just a rumor. What not wait until there is an official announcement John.
this hasnt been confirmed by gibbs, busch, or nascar. i wouldnt have posted this if i were you in case it turns out not to be true
Doubtful
Kyle’s name is on the entry list.
Chris, the cars are entered 2 weeks in advance. Of course his name is on the entry list. That, of course, doesn’t mean that the rumors are or aren’t true 🙂
Can I get a job on this site? You just make up a story and attribute it to another person who didn’t say it on record.
John,
Fyi, in the first sentence, I am sure you mean Brad heard (not head) and if this is true it is very sad.
Is Brad Kesolowski the source? Author seemed to dance around that
Kyle will race this weekend and won’t miss any more races this season. NASCAR and Joe Gibbs have too much riding on him racing. I put the chancese of him being out this weekend at about 10%….
However, It would not surprise me to see M&M’s bow out as Kyle’s sponsor at the end of the season… this might put Kyle’s NASCAR season NEXT year in serious jeopardy.
What do you mean by “like they appear to be”? What evidence supports that statement? This site is a joke and so are you!
Klyle Busch should be let go and forced out of nascar. He will never be a champion as he only cares about Klyle and has no respect for anyone. Hopefully his wife and parents do not get tarnished by him hope he never has kids!!!!!!Some people do not change and he is one of them…..
What do you mean by “like they appear to be”? What evidence supports that statement? This site is a joke and so are you!
SO WHY ARE YOU ON THE SITE THEN?????? DO NOT ANSWER IF YOU CANNOT GIVE A SENSIBLE ANSWER!!!!
DAMN TWINKLE TOES IS A SITE LIKE THIS IS NOT NEED OR WANTED!!!!!
The only thing reported is Z Line Design, one of his NW sponsors has asked that Kyle not drive that car for the rest of the season. Gibbs is said to be looking at Hamlin or Almirola to drive it instead, Mars/M&M has not issued a statement either way.
Byle Douche has to go! What a fregin moron. His time has runout and thanks to Nascar. I’m just sorry Harvick and/or Childress doesn’t get to whack him again.
I hope Kyle was drug tested…..In years past when ever someone did something stupid like that they were tested and many have failed. How would we know if he was tested for his actions. Also, he should have been fined enough to pay KHI for the truck they lost
The story is true. Aric Almirola will drive the #18 the remainder of the year.
Hamlin is in the Nationwide car
Nationwide sponsor has asked that he be removed from the car, hence Denny Hamlin will drive it.
Don’t be surprised if M&M’s(MARS)drops him.
Great driver but childish behavior has cost his team too many times.
Must be a family trait, some great parenting there Mom and Dad.
Here’s the best “rumor” yet. I work at RCR and Kyle Busch was here yesterday asking about the fourth Childress car. This is FACT because I talked to him myself.
Kyle at RCR. Can you imagine Busch and Harvick as teammates?!
Kyle at RCR??? Can you imagine Kyle and Harvick as teammates?!
@RCR Employee:
so you work for RCR and Kyle Busch asked you about the 4th car? okie dokie.
If the rumors are true, I give it 70/30 they are, then it is not unexpected and Kyle should have known the consequenses of his actions. He is supposed to be a professional, Friday night he was anything but. What ever does happen, is deserved and there is no one to blame but himself.
I’m pretty sure the whole Busch family lives under a rock when it comes to reality.
Aric Amirola has been contacted by JGR because M&M’s doesn’t want Kyle to drive it again this year.
If they have any balls next year too.
There is NO truth to what Scott is saying. Last announcement was by Marty Smith on Nascar Now, he said that Kyle WILL be in the car the last two races with most likely Interstate Batteries, although M & M hasn’t made any announcements. Aric is on standby just in case. Hamlin will drive the NNS at Homestead. Any other posts are junk/untrue.
I think Kyle will race in this next race.It,s a Dam Shame that the Sponsors are telling race teams who can drive there cars.Whats next .Sponsors should never have this right.And Nascar wonders why tickets sales are down.
WHAT A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT GET THE FACTS FIRST NOT RUMORS!!!!!!
@ Jim Hawkins
Jim a sponsor puts up millions of dollars to promote their product. For the kind of money they spend, shouldn’t they expect for their product to be promoted in a positive way? What Kyle Busch did and has done for his entire career is what Kyle Busch wanted to do, not what was in the best interest of JGR (the people who pay him) nor in the best interest of M&M’s. It certainly doesn’t shed a positive light on Kyle, JGR, or the corporations who have their names and logos plastered all over the car he drives. It’s a shame because the guys is one of the most talented drivers out there.
Never said he ask me about the forth car. Just said I talked to him.
Would be a shame if M&M let Kyle go after he made their company the most recognized brand in NASCAR this year. However, I’m certain there are a few that would JUMP at the chance to take a slight RISK on Kyle, since he is such a darned-great race car driver.
KB has no hint of class. He respects nothing and no one. He was fortunate enough to be touched by the hand of the racing gods but he has no brain. What makes me want to puke is the amount of respect the media and even his peers deem necessary to give him. The only reason id like to see him back on the track is the small chance of getting to see him take a roof ride…without injury of course.
I think Rowdy will rebound from this and one day will be called “King Kyle” I know the KB haters will all be crying on that day.Roll on Rowdy and dry their tears with the heat from your tires.
Kyle will be in the Interstate Bateries Camry this week. Thanks for the Support Norm MIller.
It wouldn’t take Kyle long at all to line up a new primary sponsor, if they like being up front and on tv.
He already has been thru Roush and Hendrick, a few more temper tantrums and MARS & JGR will drop him. All this and he is only 25.
I think a disposable douche manufacturer would be a good sponsor for him.
M&M Mars nor Joe Gibbs are stupid business people. They know that, like it or not, they have one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR history under their banner. I am a Kyle Busch fan 3rd. JGR Racing fan 2nd and NASCAR fan first and far most. That being said, if Kyle Busch was no longer in NASCAR, I’m still watching. But all you KB haters, if you can not see the talent that he has, you’re blind. He does not suck as a driver! A little immature? Maybe. Spoiled?, Possible. But, he has a lot of talent. The problem is the media coverage has been way too aggressive. Today was a prime example of that. All day long I waited on pins and needles, because I was told that JGR was going to have a press conference at 12:00, then 1:00 then 3:00 on the D- Day of Kyle Busch’s career in NASCAR. Only to learn, thanks to Dave Moody on Sirius radio, that JGR never said they were going to hold a press conference. It was all speculation on the media’s part and they totally blew it way out of proportion. I applaud Joe & J.D Gibbs for not folding under the pressure of the media. I applaud NASCAR for the direction they took in dealing with the situation and I applaud Ron Hornaday for his actions in the after math of this major media debacle.
Also, I respect “Chocolate” Myers for his contributions he has made to NASCAR and the firm defense he gives to the great, late Dale Earnhardt and I understand he is bias, but I am sick and tired of hearing him say that Sr., never intentional wrecked somebody to win a race. I would love to hear Terry Labonte’s point of view on that, not only once, but twice at Bristol. I was there both times and distinctively remember Dale saying ” I was not trying to wreck him, I was only trying to rattle him” Bottom line, he intentional hit him in the corner and anybody who has every watched a race at Bristol knows, if you hit somebody in the turns at Bristol, the outcome is not going to be good for the driver on the other end of that “unintentional” bump.
This is one of the greatest points races in NASCAR history and it’s being over shadowed by the actions of Kyle Busch, per the media. But, they have the power to end this. They have screeners that take every single call to their show. They do not have to take calls that want to talk about Kyle Busch. But they don’t. Why? because they to know that Kyle Busch is the show!
Kyle, please, please, please, learn from this.
David Reutimann sure would be a good fit for both JGR ans M&M’s. A good driver that has his head on straight.
You think someone that goes out there every race and wrecks about 3 cars a race and one of them is his is the greatist driver EVER??? A great driver wins the race without a mark on the car and doesn’t get out of the car and Bad MOUTH the crew and everyone else like the two Busch’s. That PUKE needs a punch in the mouth.(he’s all mouth)
If this incident had happened on the highway, Kyle would be in jail pending attempted manslaughter charges
KB HAS TALENT ITS CALLED F……G STUPIDITY NASCAR DONT NEED THAT BS………..AND NIETHER DOES NE1 ELSE
Joe Gibbs and numbnuts KB hold press conference… Numbnuts apologizes to fans, sponsors, joe, but not to hornaday or any of the guys at rcr that work hard on that truck only to have a possible championship stolen away. What a squirrelly little smuck. He’s sorry he’s being punished… Not his action that brought this down on his pointy little head. How can anyone actually pull for this degenerate?
It’s KHR not rcr that works on Hornaday’s truck.At least till season end anyway.It’s funny how he taunts his hecklers when he wins that is one reason I pull for him.ROTFL LOL
18 and rowdy, RCR stuff, KHI just the name. That the best you got? Something besides the real point? What phone booth you KB fans meeting up in next week?