The late great Kyle Busch and his M&M’s livery. For 15 years, the vibrant yellow paint scheme became the defining look of one of NASCAR’s best drivers. When he moved to Richard Childress Racing in 2023, however, it marked the end of an era, with the iconic livery disappearing from the garage.
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But when NASCAR heads to Bristol next month, fans will get one final chance to see those colors back on track, as an emotional Samantha Busch revealed on her socials on 13th August.
“It’s a chance to honor him at a place he loved so much, surrounded by our NASCAR family and the fans who loved him too. I know Kyle would want us to be there, to keep showing up, keep racing, and keep carrying his legacy forward,” Samantha wrote on Instagram along with a video where she holds back tears while talking about her husband, who passed away on May 21.
Ty Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing will run the M&M colors on the No. 54 Toyota at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on 19th September. Samantha noted how it was always one of Kyle’s favorite tracks and that he always enjoyed racing under the floodlights.
Joe Gibbs Racing was where Kyle Busch spent the majority of his Cup Series career and won two championships. And the M&M’s car helped create the “Candy Man” persona, one that was as ironic as it was iconic.
Rowdy was one of the sport’s fiercest drivers, a villain who drove brightly colored cars promoting button-shaped chocolates with different-colored coatings, while doing whatever it ruthlessly took to win at the highest level.
Busch won 56 races with the M&M’s livery and won at least one race every year between 2008 and 2022. Bristol, undoubtedly, was one of Kyle’s best venues.
In 2017, he completed the iconic sweep at Bristol, winning the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series races in a single weekend. He also drove a special M&M’s White Chocolate livery to win the Night Race in 2018, followed by an M&M’s Crunchy Cookie livery in 2022 to win the Dirt Race at Bristol.
Overall, Kyle won nine Cup Series races at Bristol. And Ty Gibbs, who is currently second in the championship standings, will now have the honor of paying tribute to him at the venue.
For Samantha, seeing those M&M’s colors back at Bristol will be bittersweet. It will bring back memories of Kyle and the place he loved so much. And now, she’ll get to see his iconic car on track one more time.