NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR chief has no regrets over huge Kyle Busch decision

Busch was denied a key drive in 2017

Chris Deeley

Tuesday 20 May 2025 14:00

Kyle Busch opened up last week on a potentially career-defining decision made on his behalf, with the decision-maker now weighing in.

Busch revealed that Joe Gibbs blocked him from racing in the Indy 500 back in 2017 when he still raced for the Pro Football Hall of Famer's team, a decision Gibbs has now insisted that he has no regrets over.

Gibbs also revealed the details of his denial of Busch's opportunity, claiming that the veteran racer could have raced the iconic race at the Brickyard if he'd fulfilled some admittedly tricky criteria.

The topic has come up again this week as Kyle Larson prepares for his second consecutive attempt at the Memorial Day Weekend Double, in a seat which could have been Busch's in 2024.

Joe Gibbs: I had to protect our race team

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Asked outright if he regretted the decision to block Busch, Gibbs said: "Yeah, I think anytime you’re confronted with something like that, you have to make the best decision you can. Number one for me is our NASCAR team.

"When I considered anything like that, the number one thing for me was the fact that when you race cars, things can happen. So you’ve got to make sure that our race team is protected.

"Anyway, I think we went through that with Kyle, and I understand kind of where he is, too. I respect Kyle. That guy is gifted. He did so much for us. He had a big part in putting our race team where it is. I think he’s 56 wins or something. So it’s a big deal for us. I really respect him, he and Sam and Brexton now, all they’ve got going on. I think it’s awesome."

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Kyle Larson Kyle Busch Indy 500 Joe Gibbs