A fitting tribute at a track where Kyle had so much success.
It’s been nearly 3 months since we lost two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who passed away on May 21 following a battle with pneumonia that eventually progressed into sepsis.
Busch’s #8 car for Richard Childress Racing was renumbered to the #33 and has been driven by Austin Hill since his death. And throughout the summer there have been plenty of tributes to the late NASCAR legend, from his #8 painted in the infield of each to fans holding up 8 fingers on lap 8 to the winning driver doing Busch’s signature bow after taking the checkered flag.
And now, his former team is rolling out an emotional tribute to their driver who brought them two Cup Series championships.
Busch drove for Joe Gibbs Racing for 15 seasons, winning 56 races behind the wheel of the #18 car. And for many of those wins, his longtime sponsor M&M’s was along for the ride.
Mars, Inc., parent company of M&M’s, left NASCAR at the end of the 2022 season, ending their longtime partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing and Busch and leaving the #18 team without a primary sponsor. The result was that Busch ended up leaving the team for RCR, and his #18 car was renumbered to the #54 car for Ty Gibbs (grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs), who brought his own sponsorship with Monster Energy (and no doubt didn’t require as big of a contract as a driver like Busch).
But at Bristol, the now-renumbered car formerly driven by Busch will once again carry the M&M’s color in honor of the NASCAR legend.
Busch’s wife, Samantha Busch, announced today that M&M’s would be returning to NASCAR to pay tribute to Kyle, sponsoring Ty Gibbs during the night race at Bristol Motor Speedway next month:
“Bristol was always one of Kyle’s favorite tracks. He loved racing under the lights, found so much success there, and the iconic M&M’S car holds some of the best memories of his career and our life together.
Going back without him will be heartbreaking. He should be there. But I’m so grateful to be able to tell you that those iconic M&M’S colors will be coming back to Bristol, one last time, on the 54 car. It’s a chance to honor him at a place he loved so much, surrounded by our NASCAR family and the fans who loved him too. I know Kyle would want us to be there, to keep showing up, keep racing, and keep carrying his legacy forward.”
The specially-designed car will feature photos of Busch’s career throughout the design, which is an incredible touch and is sure to make for an emotional moment when fans finally get to see it on the track.
Over the course of his legendary career, Busch managed to rack up 23 wins on the half-mile track at Bristol Motor Speedway, including 9 in the Cup Series (one on the dirt track back in 2022), 9 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and 5 in the Truck Series. He’s also the only driver in history to win races in all three series in the same weekend at the track, a feat he actually accomplished twice in both 2010 and 2017. He currently holds the record for the most wins at the track with his 23 combined victories.
It’s an incredible tribute, and well done all around by both M&M’s and Joe Gibbs Racing to make this happen for one final time in honor of Kyle Busch.
Can’t wait to see that M&M’s car back on the track one last time.
