(Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
Kyle Busch completed his 18th full-time NASCAR Cup Series season in 2022 and his 15th with Joe Gibbs Racing. Here’s what happened:
By the numbers
Points: 13th
Wins: 1
Top 5s: 8
Top 10s: 17
Average start: 14.1
Average finish: 16.7
DNFs: 7
Laps led: 627
Highlights
Busch got off to a strong start in 2022 by winning the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt race on Easter. Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe spun in the final corner and Busch slipped by to steal the victory.
Busch also recorded top 10s in 11 of the first 15 races. In addition to the victory, Busch finished fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his home track, and finished third at Talladega Superspeedway. He placed on the podium in three consecutive races: Kansas Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and WWT Raceway.
Busch finished the year with top 10s in four of the final five races.
(Photo: Sam Draiss | The Podium Finish)
Lowlights
Things took a turn for the worse beginning at Sonoma Raceway in June. He finished outside the top 20 in four consecutive races before spinning twice and rebounding to finish 12th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. A week later, it appeared Busch got back on track with a second-place finish at Pocono Raceway. But his car, along with original race winner Denny Hamlin’s, failed postrace technical inspection for a modification to the front fascia and were disqualified.
After limping into the Playoffs, Busch had contending cars at both Darlington Raceway and Bristol but shockingly blew engines in both races. He nearly snuck into the next round of the Playoffs on stage points and playoff points but ultimately failed to advance beyond the Round of 16.
Busch, like his Toyota teammates, also struggled on road courses. In six races, he finished in the top 10 once (Charlotte ROVAL).
(Photo: Kevin Ritchie | The Podium Finish)
2023 outlook
After a historic tenure with JGR, Busch is joining Richard Childress Racing in 2023 to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet. Busch and JGR could not come to an agreement after M&Ms announced it would leave the sport after the 2022 season.
Busch will become teammates with Austin Dillon after Tyler Reddick departed from RCR a year early to join 23XI Racing. His Craftsman Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, is also making the switch to Chevrolet.
With 60 wins, the 37-year-old wants to start the next chapter of his Hall of Fame career on a strong note. Busch won just four races over the last three seasons and hopes to fight for a third championship in 2023.
