![Kyle Busch]()
As if this Silly Season could get any more wild...
We're not even halfway through the 2024
NASCAR Cup Series season and there's already been a ton of movement among driver and team lineups for next season.
Of course the biggest shoe to drop so far was that
Stewart-Haas Racing would be shutting down at the end of 2024, leaving four drivers - Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry and Ryan Preece - looking for rides for 2025.
That also means that four charters are up for grabs for teams looking to expand, with Front Row Motorsports already buying one of those and the other three still on the market (though Trackhouse Racing and 23XI Racing are rumored to be landing spots for two of those three).
And speaking of Front Row Motorsports, they're going to have not just the one but TWO seats to fill after Michael McDowell announced earlier this year that he would be leaving the team at the end of the season and joining Spire Motorsports.
It's also expected that Wood Brothers Racing will choose to make a driver change at the end of 2024, parting ways with Harrison Burton after two lackluster (to put it nicely) seasons.
Then, when we thought we had an idea of all of the open rides for next season, Martin Truex Jr. came along and announced his retirement, leaving a top ride open at Joe Gibbs Racing.
It's heavily rumored that Chase Briscoe will be moving to JGR to fill the seat vacated by Truex, after the original rumors were that he would be moving to Wood Brothers to take over the #21 car. And now, with Briscoe (reportedly) off the market, Justin Haley is now rumored to be the frontrunner for the Wood Brothers ride, meaning that yet another ride would be open if Haley left the #51 car and Rick Ware Racing.
Got all that?
Well just as the pieces seemed like they were starting to fall into place,
Kyle Busch came along and shook things up yet again. (Imagine that).
Busch left Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the 2022 season and signed with Richard Childress Racing, a move that saw quite a bit of success in their first season together.
But this year, things haven't been going so great over at RCR, either for Busch or his teammate Austin Dillon. Busch is sitting in the final playoff spot right now, and has just two top-5 finishes this year. And in a candid moment during his fight with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the All-Star Race last month, Busch let his frustration with his team and performance show:
"I suck just as bad as you."
Sounds like Busch isn't exactly happy with how things are going right now, which isn't really a surprise. But is it bad enough that he'll be looking for a new ride next season?
Something that would have sounded ridiculous a few months ago became a very real possibility this weekend when Busch opened the door to making a move, either back to Joe Gibbs Racing or elsewhere, during some comments about his future:
"I would say anything is possible, always. Certainly if I was welcomed I would go back. If Hendrick welcomed me back I would go back.
But right now I'm at RCR with my group of guys and the deal that I have right now in place, so we're trying to work and build this program and make RCR great again."
https://twitter.com/bobpockrass/status/1802062235948196207
Of course any driver in the Cup Series would probably like to go to JGR and Hendrick, which are currently the top two teams and consistent championship contenders. But it's interesting that Busch is openly expressing interest (or at least willingness) to return to the two former teams that he's driven for in the Cup Series while still under contract with Childress.
But Busch also said that as things stand right now, he plans on being back with RCR next season - and he also confirmed that his contract prevents him from talking with other teams while he's signed with Childress.
I guess we'll have to see if it's just frustration with his performance from Kyle, or whether he's really looking to find a new home for next season. I wouldn't put money on it right now, but then again I didn't even think it was a possibility a couple months ago, so who knows...
