NASCAR Cup Series 2015 champion Kyle Busch says he cannot see himself leaving his Joe Gibbs Racing squad for another team.
Busch signed a new “multi-year” contract extension with JGR at the end of February and continues his career with the team that began in 2008 following his switch from Hendrick Motorsports (pictured below).
The 33-year-old has taken 47 of his 51 Cup wins with JGR and took his 2015 title with the squad.
Contractual reasons prevented Busch from speaking to any other teams during his negotiations with JGR, but he says he could not imagine a future with any other outfit.
“I feel like the relationship with [key sponsor] M&M’s has continued to get better and has grown over the years as well as Toyota,” said Busch
“I’ve got a lot of friendships there.
“With all of that, you never say never, but I don’t know that you would ever see myself drive anything different than a Joe Gibbs Racing #18 M&M’s Toyota.
“Hopefully, it will stay that way.
“We know that it will stay that way for the foreseeable future and I’m certainly looking forward to that.”
Busch added that the trust he has in JGR meant he would not have considered chasing another team.
“I didn’t go after anybody else,” he said.
“They have a window in the deal that I am restricted to them only, to negotiating with them only.
“As we were going through the negotiations, they were very receptive and I was very receptive to all the things that we were looking for from one another, so there was never a need to have that window expire and then to be able and go test the free market.
“I think that just shows you and tells you that the belief and the [trust] that we have in one another and the relationship we’ve had over the years that myself and Joe [Gibbs] can normally put our big boy pants on, sit in a room and do a good deal and we did.”
Busch is currently third in the 2019 Cup series standings, boosted by his runner-up finish in the Daytona 500.
While he has yet to secure an automatic playoff berth with a race win, Busch has been in final four title contention every year since his first Cup championship four seasons ago.