Kyle Busch spent over one decade at Joe Gibbs Racing and made Toyota Racing what it is today. Despite Busch’s accomplishments over that time, he no longer has a ride with the organization or manufacturer.
The 37-year-old driver now pilots the No. 8 car for Richard Childress Racing. This came after Busch received a call from his current teammate Austin Dillon on whether he wanted to join the team or not.
In Busch’s place, Joe Gibbs, the owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, tapped his grandson Ty Gibbs to replace him in the NASCAR Cup Series. What did Toyota have to say about Busch’s departure ahead of the 2023 NASCAR season?
Related: Trackhouse Racing could acquire Kyle Busch for the Indianapolis 500
Toyota talks about Kyle Busch and whether they will miss his presence
Toyota has a massive gap to fill with Busch’s departure that will surely need to be filled in many different areas. Thankfully for them, the manufacturer has new young talent in the NASCAR Cup Series, such as Gibbs and Tyler Reddick.
Before the press conference availability for Toyota ended last Friday, a question about how the program would look without Busch was asked. This is what David Wilson, the president of Toyota Racing Development, had to say on the topic.
“I was the one touting everything that Kyle Busch and Toyota have done together in the past decade and a half. I guess I sad last year that we will forever celebrate that record of success, because of the Kyle Busch rule being implemented, there will probably not be another driver ever that matches his level of success with one manufacturer. He will be missed.”
David Wilson on Kyle Busch leaving Toyota Racing
Busch’s dominance with Toyota across the top three NASCAR levels is certainly something we will never see again without a rule change. The former Joe Gibbs Racing driver has the most wins in NASCAR history across the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series.
Despite all of that success, it is now time to rebuild the Toyota program with Kyle Busch Motorsports moving to Chevrolet and ThorSport Racing moving to Ford due to Hailie Deegan’s arrival.
The manufacturer now has TRICON Garage, formerly David Gilliland Racing, back in the fold. What did Wilson have to say about the changes and the process with Busch now out of the picture?
It is not going to happen overnight, and certainly there are days that we will miss Kyle and there are days that we won’t. I’ll just leave it at that.”
David Wilson on changes within the Toyota Racing program
Wilson’s last comment on Busch’s departure from Toyota Racing should not be taken seriously. The manufacturer is grateful for everything that Busch accomplished with them and both parties will forever be connected.
The partnership between Busch and Toyota was hands-down the best in NASCAR history. It is unlikely to be touched for a very long time and Toyota recognizes the success of that partnership.