Feb 22, 2026 | 4:25 PM EST
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 05: Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing M&M s Toyota and Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Express Toyota answer questions for a media press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz during the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series race on February 05, 2022, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 05 NASCAR Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum Icon0072202050121
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 05: Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing M&M s Toyota and Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Express Toyota answer questions for a media press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz during the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series race on February 05, 2022, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 05 NASCAR Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum Icon0072202050121
Imago
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 05: Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing M&M s Toyota and Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Express Toyota answer questions for a media press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz during the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series race on February 05, 2022, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 05 NASCAR Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum Icon0072202050121
Imago
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 05: Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing M&M s Toyota and Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Express Toyota answer questions for a media press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz during the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series race on February 05, 2022, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 05 NASCAR Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum Icon0072202050121
While Kyle Busch is basking in the glory of his Truck Series win, his wife has an important confession to make. She has revealed that Busch is facing sponsorship troubles and is unable to race in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. As a two-time Cup champion and veteran driver, Busch was also a regular participant in both Truck and NOAPS. However, he has not raced a single event in NASCAR’s Tier 2 since 2024.
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Samantha Busch requests sponsors to help Kyle Busch
On her Instagram, Samantha Busch was running an AMA session. During the session, she was asked if she supports Busch’s other endeavors except the Cup Series. In her answer, she admits that she is more than happy to watch him race in the Truck Series with Spire Motorsports this year.
“I do! I love that he will be driving 8 truck races this year. If we could get sponsorship, I know he would do as many as possible in the O’Reilly Series too. He just loves to race!”
Her words have sparked an important discussion about Busch’s future. While the RCR driver is extremely successful and popular in the lower NASCAR divisions, he is unable to find himself a seat for the O’Reilly Series.
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Samantha Busch reacts to Kyle Busch’s O’Reilly future (Image: Instagram/ Samantha Busch)
His situation is similar to what Denny Hamlin is experiencing this year with the O’Reilly Series. He made a plea to his team to help him land a sponsor for the Tier-2 division. NASCAR drivers generally like racing in the O’Reilly Series due to the diversity in the field. It helps them connect to their roots, and they love driving the current-spec cars in the division.
Nevertheless, since most of these drivers do not run their own team in the series, they can’t simply get into the car they want to drive. Unless a sponsor decides to help them specifically, they have to wait for approval. The Superspeedway races in particular are their most sought-after events.
Had he tried some years ago, Busch would’ve had the opportunity to race in the NOAPS without any issue. He was sporting his own NASCAR team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, in the lower NASCAR series. Unfortunately, after the sale of his team, he has lost the guaranteed spot he had in the O’Reilly and Truck series.
With more than 100 wins in the O’Reilly series, Busch is one of the legendary drivers. However, it seems like presently neither fan following nor success is helping him live out his dreams. For now, Busch will need to stay satisfied with the Cup Series, where he has a full-time seat.
Even though he needs to focus on his EchoPark Speedway race on Sunday, Busch found himself celebrating a day before.
Busch shares rare bonding moment with Hocevar
While Busch was cruising to victory in the Truck series yesterday, it is easy to forget who helped him. Carson Hocevar’s antics as a wingman were something that Busch needed terribly on Saturday. Throughout the race, the two Spire Motorsports drivers were controlling the pace.
Initially, Hocevar was his usual aggressive self, but he gave up and let Busch claim the victory by helping him with a push. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed as Busch remarked,
“It was nice to see that he’s got it in him. At the beginning of the race, it was kind of normal, Carson. All over the place.
“Not all over the place, like, out of control, just dicing it up, right? Like cutting moves and making plays like I probably once was. Then in the second stage, I was able to kind of be his wingman for a minute. That worked really well for it.”
But their celebrations together are short-lived. There’s not a lot of time left until the two drivers get back on track for the Cup Series race. They will be racing at EchoPark Speedway once again. The only difference being—they will race like rivals.
It will be interesting to see what Atlanta has in store for them once the two drivers hit the tarmac. Who do you think will come out as the victor if the two drivers clash again?