At this point, nobody is safe from McLaren.
The list for this team keeps getting longer and longer and longer. By my count, no less than 10 drivers have some connection to McLaren now, including test drivers such as Will Stevens and Mercedes-affiliated drivers they can use, such as Stoffel Vandoorne.
Heck, at this rate, they may just sign the hottest free agent in NASCAR — Joe Gibbs Racing may well lose out to a team that once DNQed an Indianapolis 500 because the car was the wrong shade of orange.
OK, OK, just to be clear: no, there is no evidence that Kyle Busch is actually going to be signed by McLaren.
For all intents and purposes, the multi-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will likely remain in NASCAR next year, or if not, barnstorming around the country at dirt tracks a la Kyle Larson.
But with that being said, the fact that it would not be that surprising at this point if Zak Brown were to work his magic and get the Rowdy One under contract, or if that revelation only came out after JGR announced Busch’s return, speaks volumes as to the last month or so for the orange papaya team.
Let’s begin at a much simpler time: July 12. Chip Ganassi Racing sent out a fairly standard press release announcing the re-signing of the defending series champion Alex Palou. This was written in it:
“’It’s a great feeling knowing I’ll be back with Chip Ganassi Racing next season,’ said Alex Palou. ‘The team welcomed me with open arms from day one, and I’m excited to continue working with Chip, Mike Hull, the folks on the No. 10 NTT DATA car and everyone within the organization. The goals remain the same and we will continue to work relentlessly towards achieving them.’”
But then, less than four hours later, Palou goes on Twitter and pushed back, all but calling the release fake news:
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I did not approve that press release, and I did not author or approve that quote. As I have recently informed CGR, for personal reasons, I do not intend to continue with the team after 2022.
— Alex Palou Montalbo (@AlexPalou) July 12, 2022
A few minutes later, McLaren Racing announced that Palou will race for them in 2023 and test the 2021 McLaren F1 car (the MCL35M) with Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward. The press release outright said that McLaren would “confirm its full driver lineups across all of its racing series in due course.”
Herta, meanwhile, was testing the MCL55M in Portugal the week while all of this…
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