Kyle Busch had to be honored the right way. Joe Gibbs Racing and its president, David Alpern, were adamant about that in the weeks and months following his tragic passing from pneumonia in May. Now, the announcement of his iconic sponsor’s return to NASCAR for one night, at one of his favorite tracks, has struck the right emotional chord for Alpern.

Joe Gibbs Racing successfully got M&M’s to return to NASCAR for one night. The candy brand, owned by Mars Inc., will bring back its iconic canary-yellow paint scheme on Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota at Bristol next month for the Cup Series race. The news was first revealed by Busch’s wife, Samantha, on social media on August 13.

“When you think of Kyle Busch, hard not to picture him in that yellow M&M’s car,” Alpern said to Sirius XM NASCAR Radio

M&M was with Busch and JGR for 15 years, and Alpern insisted that the relationships they built throughout the years were still strong. So when Kyle died, they got in touch, and all parties were actively interested in doing this to honor Kyle.

They chose Bristol because the track meant a lot to Rowdy. He won nine Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway, eight on the traditional layout and one on the dirt track. And one of his most incredible feats came at the venue in 2010 and 2017. He won the Truck Series, O’Reilly Series, and Cup Series races in Bristol, all on the same weekend twice.

Kyle celebrated the historic moment in 2017 by taking his No. 18 yellow M&M-painted car on the front-stretch before climbing on the roof and waving a physical broom toward roaring fans. The famous Kyle Busch Bristol Sweep.

Of Kyle’s 56 overall Cup Series victories, 34 came behind the wheel of a car sporting the M&M’s livery. Both of his championships came with the iconic sponsor as well.

Alpern can’t wait for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on September 19. “Just thinking about that car rolling out kind of gives you goosebumps, thinking about that thing underneath the lights at Bristol, one more time,” he added in the same interview with Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

He also revealed that Joe Gibbs Racing wanted Ty Gibbs to honor Kyle. Ty, who lost his dad — hours after he won an O’Reilly Series race in Phoenix in 2022 — loves Brexton. And Alpern also stated that Brexton looks up to Ty.

“They’ve spent time together, so the connection with the Ty car and just with Joe Gibbs Racing obviously made a lot of sense,” the JGR President said.

For one night at Bristol, Kyle Busch’s iconic yellow M&M’s scheme will return, giving fans and his family one more chance to see a familiar sight. For Alpern and JGR, bringing it back was about honoring Kyle and giving him the tribute he deserved.