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Kyle Busch Finally Has a Cause for Celebration After Tough JGR divorce and Coy Gibbs’ Death

Published 11/14/2022, 7:00 AM EST

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The 2022 season was Kyle Busch’s 20th season in the Cup Series. But there was no celebration at the end of the season, as he would have wished for. Rather, it had been a very tough season for him both emotionally and mentally.

Kyle Busch had been a part of Joe Gibbs Racing for 15 years, having brought them their first Cup Series in 2015, followed by another in 2019. Other than those 2 Cup-winning seasons, his performances has always been pretty decent, securing truckloads of points for the team.

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But the team has begun to see past him, especially with the development and progress they noted in Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs’ grandson, over his Xfinity Series performances. Busch was given the ‘pink slip’ and asked to leave the team after 15 years.

To add to that hurt, his last race for the team was in Phoenix, the Championship 4 race. But it wasn’t a happy ending – the race came in tragic circumstances. Coy Gibbs had passed away the previous night in an untimely and unexpected manner, which left Busch visibly distressed prior to the race.

But Busch has finally found things to smile about. His son, Brexton Busch, a driver for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the junior leagues wrapped up another trophy. The 7-year-old has been performing well for the past few years. His first win came just one month into his career, at the Mountain Creek Speedway in 2020.

Busch Jr continues to grow and develop, accumulating wins and trophies on the way. That would be an exception to an otherwise gloomy year for Kyle Busch.

As Busch heads to Richard Childress Racing after his divorce from JGR, he will be seeking redemption. Will he be able to prove his previous employers wrong?

What’s in store for Brexton Busch?

Busch drove for JGR for 15 years, and all those years one thing had been constant – the #18 car. As he makes his move to RCR, that constant will have to change and has changed.

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Busch announced that he will be taking the #8 car at RCR for the 2023 season. His love story with the #18 is well-documented. Fans would guess that Kyle was the reason Brexton took up the #18 when he started beginner stock racing. But that’s not how it is.

Samantha Busch, the wife of Kyle and mother of Brexton, revealed in an Instagram story that the reason for Brexton taking up the #18 is very different. When she was asked, “Will Brexton switch to the #8 for 2023 like Kyle?”, Samantha said, “Nope he said his bday (sic) is on the 18th so that’s his number.”

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Watch This Story: Self-Proclaimed “Jesus” Ty Gibbs Proves Worth As Kyle Busch’s Successor Amid Outrage Over Petty Move

In all honesty, that would not be an issue for Kyle Busch – for him as long as Brexton continues developing and growing into a good driver, he doesn’t care what number car he drives. Hopefully, both Busch boys can do well in their respective cars next season.

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Written by:

Abhay Tyagi

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Abhay Tyagi is a Formula 1 Author at EssentiallySports. Although he has completed his undergrad in Law and Management, he has always been eager to venture into the exciting field of sports journalism. With a special affinity for Engineering and Speed, Abhay has always found the world of Formula 1 quite exhilarating.
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Edited by:

Nizamul Haque Bhuyan