“Big changes are coming”

Bush37 years old, he is in the last year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and has yet to sign an extension with the Toyota organization.

Busch said Saturday that he had not been told that a return to JGR was no longer an option, but that he was listening to offers from other teams.

This is not the situation Bush envisioned when the 2022 season began.

The current process was initiated when Mars Inc. – a longtime sponsor of Busch’s No. 18 – announced that it will end its sponsorship of NASCAR after this season.

“I’m a racer and all I can do is race, nothing else, trying to do other business projects and things like that, but none of them ever took off or took off,” Bush said. “So it’s been tough, and it’s certainly tough to figure it all out.

“And the first time I went through it was 15 years ago and it was a learning experience. It was hard then too, but not like now. Then it was just me, me and me. I didn’t have (wife) Samantha, I didn’t have a son. I didn’t have a daughter. I only had an agent to help me.

“It’s much, much harder because now you have it Kyle Bush Motorsport you’ve got to think about, you’ve got the building you’ve got to pay for, you know, you’ve got the building record and all that. So there are a lot of pieces, and that’s why it’s not so easy.”

Where would he go if not JGR?

One possible avenue for Busch appeared to close this week in the form of two potential trips Stewart-Haas Racing seems full now.

SHR chief competition officer Greg Zippadelli said the current plan is for Custer to return to the No. 41. Additionally, Motorsport.com reported Friday that Arik Almirola would postpone retirement for another year and return to the #10 Ford.

Busch said that if he were to leave JGR, it was important to join an organization where he felt he had a chance to win races.

“I don’t feel like it’s fair to me or my family or anything if we have to spend less time together moving forward because we have to change our lifestyle, no question.” he said. “Big changes are coming.

“And so, is it worth it to run and not be able to win right away, or build something, or jump into something that can win? All these questions are, of course, weighed.

“Again, that’s why it’s not that simple and easy. So, luckily, there are options. Vacancies are available in the Cup. But again, it’s not going to look the same as it has for the last 15 years.”