No driver has had as much success as Kyle Busch did at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch won 23 races at the track, and in 2017 he swept the races across all three tiers in NASCAR. Which is why it is only fitting that Joe Gibbs Racing is set to bring back one of its most iconic liveries with M&M’s returning on Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 car for the weekend.
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JGR has also shared glimpses of the yellow M&M’s livery on Ty Gibbs’s car, and Samantha Busch shared an emotional revelation of how Joe Gibbs’ grandson has become a pillar of support for the Busch family. Especially Kyle’s son Brexton.
“Ty has been — I can’t even put into words how wonderful he’s been to Brexton,” said Samantha Busch on her Instagram story. “He’s been like a big brother. He’s been a source of comfort for him. I mean, you know, Ty’s still young himself, and he has come over. He’s taken Brexton to lunch. He rode carts around our neighborhood with him. He came and picked him up and took him to breakfast and took him to the track to race carts.”
“Ty knows what it’s like,” she added. “It’s kind of funny; Coy and Kyle were so similar. They were just blunt. Shoot you straight, and just, gosh, like I think for Brexton to have Ty to understand exactly what he’s going through. He came home one day from hanging out with Ty, and he was like, ‘We talked about our dads,’ and he just comes home so much happier.”
Ty Gibbs experienced the same grief that Brexton is feeling after Rowdy’s passing. Coy Gibbs died in 2022, just hours after celebrating his son’s O’Reilly Series championship triumph. He perhaps saw a part of himself in Brexton and took on an elder brother role how Samantha described. And this gesture was even appreciated by veteran reporter Jeff Gluck.
While Ty has come in as a figure of support and understanding for Brexton Busch, the 11-year-old has been making regular trips to victory lane and pulling out his father’s iconic bows with checkered flags to celebrate race wins. He recently won a photo finish race at the Legends Feature at Tri-County Speedway where he went three wide to take the win.
With the iconic M&M’s livery returning, JGR brought the Busch family down to their shop and had Samantha pull off the covers to reveal the car. Busch’s wife and children were all left in awe of the emotional gesture, even more so because the livery is made up of several pictures celebrating everything from Busch’s first contract and his first win at JGR to his iconic moments and even familiar celebrations. This even included Kyle and Samantha’s wedding picture as well as pictures of Brexton celebrating his father’s wins at victory lane.
There are several layers to this tribute that JGR is paying to NASCAR’s winningest driver. A track that was his favourite hunting ground, a sponsor with whom he was most recognized, the pictures celebrating the legacy he left behind. And all being driven by someone whose bond to the Busch family has only deepened since their tragic loss.
“I could not be happier that M&M’s is coming back for this one race to honor Kyle; could not be happier that it’s with Ty, with somebody who just has been there for Brexton and who understands exactly what he’s going through,” said Samantha Busch.
It is indeed a wholesome gesture by Mars Inc. Their departure from NASCAR in 2022 also led to Busch’s departure from Joe Gibbs Racing. Ty Gibbs was the one who replaced the 2-time champion, but this weekend he will be the one driving the iconic car at Rowdy’s favorite track.
Samantha’s message also expressed how grateful she felt for the kind of family that NASCAR is, with Ty being the best example. She also shared how much love and affection she has felt in this difficult period for her and her family from the entire NASCAR community.
“Just really grateful to Mars and to JGR for putting this together,” said Samantha to end her message. “Kyle was the candy man. It was a lot of amazing memories. So much of the stuff I think about is with him in that yellow M&M’s fire suit. I think it’s gonna be really hard to see it on the track. But really like iconic and special at the same time.”
Samantha, Brexton and Lennix Busch will all be in the stands in Bristol for the night race as the Chase enters its third race with the stakes getting higher and higher.
Ty Gibbs is currently 6th and 51 points behind his championship-leading teammate Denny Hamlin. But the Busch family will have their hopes strongly vested in Ty, hoping he brings the tribute livery to victory lane.