Kyle Busch made it official Wednesday: He has sold his successful Kyle Busch Motorsports team along with Rowdy Manufacturing to Spire Motorsports.
Rumors had been circulating for several days that the sale would be happening, and Busch confirmed the news Wednesday.
The team started in 2010 by the two-time Cup Series champion, holds the Truck Series records for most career wins (100) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record seven owner’s championships, the organization produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
“When we started the Truck Series team back in 2010, I never imagined that we would be able to win 100 races with 18 different drivers and that one day I’d be racing in the Cup Series alongside so many of the drivers that I once mentored at KBM,” Busch said. “I owe a lot of gratitude to so many people, starting with Samantha and my family for believing in this dream that I had. It took countless hours by so many amazing people to make KBM the winningest team in Truck Series history.
“I will always appreciate everyone that walked through the doors and gave their all to make this such a successful organization. Not only has it been the people that were employed here, but it’s also the families that supported them while they worked long hours and traveled on the weekend sacrificing time at home and missing family events. And I certainly can’t say enough thanks to Toyota for the first 13 years of support and to Chevrolet for stepping up to the plate this year. Due to their commitment and that of our great sponsors, we’ve been able to compete at the highest levels and hang a lot of banners.
On the Cup side, Busch parted ways with Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of 2022 and joined Richard Childress Racing this season. With the team he has three wins this season and is currently in the Playoffs. Since he started KBM he now has two children including a son who has started a racing career of his own.
“I’m at a different point in my life now than I was back in 2010. My family has grown, my Cup Series team changed this year and our son’s racing schedule has become as demanding as my own. It’s important to me to be able to spend more time with my family and my No. 8 team at Richard Childress Racing. It’ll be hard to walk away from the amazing facility that we’ve built. I’ll miss walking the shop floor talking with our employees, hosting our fan days in the lobby and spending countless hours there ensuring its success. However, I know at this point in my life and in my career that this is the correct decision.”
He will now step away from KBM and the rest of the operations he founded.
“I’m confident that our assets and employees are in good hands moving forward,” he said. “I don’t see the winning ways changing at all. I’ve known the Spire guys for a long time and their recent investments in NASCAR show their commitment to success.”
KBM currently fields two entries in the Craftsman Truck Series – the No. 4 Chevy for full-time driver Chase Purdy and the No. 51 Chevy for a rotation of drivers including Busch, Jack Wood and others.
Spire first entered NASCAR competition as a single-car Cup Series team in 2019, and the group started part-time participation in the Truck Series in 2022. The team has two victories in 20 Truck Series starts, with current Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson dividing the wins.
Spire scored its only Cup Series win in its first season in 2019, with Justin Haley prevailing in the summertime race at Daytona International Speedway. The Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr-owned organization currently fields two Cup Series entries for teammates Corey LaJoie and Ty Dillon.
Spire Motorsports has tremendous respect for Kyle and Samantha Busch, their staff and everything they’ve built and accomplished at KBM over the years. They created a record-setting, championship-winning race team. Those accomplishments can’t be overstated. https://t.co/a0NbnKbnI2 pic.twitter.com/GknNzjMB1W
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) September 27, 2023
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.