Kyle Busch is allowed to contest next year’s Indianapolis 500 as part of his new contract to drive for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The two-time Cup Series champion is in his 15th campaign with Toyota-powered Joe Gibbs Racing but will leave at seasons end after the #18 Camry’s primary sponsor, confectionery brand Mars, chose not to renew.
From 2023, Busch will drive the #8 Chevrolet Camaro out of RCR and hence becomes aligned with one half of IndyCar’s engine divide, which he hopes will lead to an opportunity to compete in its flagship race come May.
In fact, “I made sure that was in the deal,” said the 37-year-old of the option to compete in the Indy 500.
“I can go run it if I want to run it,” he added.
“By all means, any IndyCar teams that are Chevrolet, call me up.”
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Busch has previously tried to put together a deal to race in the 200-lapper at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2016, only for his soon to be former employer to block it.
“I had it done last year, sold and everything, ready to go, and I had a boss that said no,” he stated in 2017.
“I think the biggest thing that scares my boss is that I’ve never driven those cars.
“That’s probably the biggest fear, just not knowing what those cars do when you get into a bad situation.”
The Indianapolis 500 falls on the same Sunday as NASCAR’s 600-miler at Charlotte, but the double is hardly unprecedented.
In fact, the last person to undertake the task was Busch’s own older brother, Kurt, who finished sixth in his rookie 500 campaign before being classified 40th at Charlotte due to an engine failure.
As to who could accommodate Kyle Busch’s wish, that is a question mark.
The most desirable options within the Chevrolet ranks are Team Penske, McLaren SP, and, at the Brickyard, arguably Ed Carpenter Racing.
How willing Penske would be to field a fourth car for an outsider remains to be seen, while McLaren SP is already expanding to three cars on a full-time basis and ECR will likely have its two full-time entries plus another for Carpenter himself, an oval specialist.
Furthermore, Paretta Autosport is looking to expand its IndyCar programme further in 2023 and it already has an alliance with ECR.
Juncos Hollinger Racing is unlikely to want to add yet another car given it doubles its effort to two Chevrolet-powered Dallaras next year, and that would leave just AJ Foyt Racing before considering the Indy-only squads.
Both the Indianapolis 500 and Charlotte 600 are set to take place next year on Sunday, May 28.
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