Kyle Busch leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of 2022 sounded preposterous just a few months ago. After all, the pairing has garnered 56 wins and 2 championships in 15 full-time NASCAR Cup Series seasons.
But we are here in September with Busch taking his talents to Richard Childress Racing. With Busch leaving the No. 18 car — a ride he had called home since 2008 — at season’s end, the second-longest driver-team pairing will come to an end; Denny Hamlin and JGR is now the last remaining continuity from the 2000s decade.
Before Busch’s official announcement on Sept. 13, the summer was dominated by questions about his future plans, especially when leaving JGR became a realistic possibility as time went on. With Busch back in a Bowtie for the first time since 2007, we take a look at the most heavily anticipated free agent signings in NASCAR history:
David Pearson to the Wood Brothers (1972)
Darrell Waltrip to Junior Johnson (1981) and Hendrick (1987)
Bobby Allison to DiGard (1982)
Dale Earnhardt to RCR (1984)
Richard Petty to Curb Racing (1984)
Tim Richmond to Hendrick (1986)
Rusty Wallace to Penske (1991)
Bill Elliott to Junior Johnson (1992)
Jeff Gordon to Hendrick (1993)
Ricky Rudd to Yates (2000)
Kurt Busch to Penske (2006)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. leaves DEI for Hendrick; Kyle Busch moves to JGR (2008)
Tony Stewart to SHR (2009)
Brad Keselowski to Penske (2010)
Kasey Kahne to Hendrick (2012)
Matt Kenseth to JGR (2013)
Kevin Harvick to SHR (2014)
Carl Edwards to JGR (2015)
Kyle Larson to Hendrick (2021)
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