Kyle Busch opens up about Joe Gibbs turning his back on him

Jul 23, 2022; Long Pond, Pennsylvania, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch walks on pit road during practice and qualifying for the M&Ms Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Busch signed with Richard Childress Racing last month after his contract with Joe Gibbs racing expired, and it has since become quite clear that the two-time Cup Series champion did not leave his former team on good terms.

Busch spoke about his departure from JGR during Thursday’s episode of “Race for the Championship” on USA Network. He said he felt like his family turned their back on him.

Wow.

KB: "Something that's so disappointing to me & so hurtful about this whole situation with JGR is they were like family. For 15 years, Joe [Gibbs] had my back in the stupidest of moments that Kyle Busch was. Like, he was there for me. And it's gone. Like, it just 🫰flipped."

— Zach Sturniolo (@zachstur) October 21, 2022

Busch was with JGR from 2008-2022. He became one of racing’s biggest stars during that time. One of the reasons Busch may have become expendable to JGR is that the team has been grooming Gibbs’ grandson, Ty, to make the jump to the Cup Series. Ty has won nine races for JGR on the Xfinity Series and is a natural to take over the No. 18 car.

Busch’s final season with JGR ended with a whimper, as he had two blown engines in his last three races. The 37-year-old seemed absolutely disgusted after his engine failed at Darlington last month. Busch is hoping for better things with Richard Childress.