Kyle Busch reveals Joe Gibbs crushed his dream to emulate brother Kurt Busch despite M&M, Chevrolet, and Toyota’s approval

Kyle Busch disclosed that Joe Gibbs denied permission to run the Indy-Charlotte double in 2017, something his brother Kurt Busch did in 2014. Like Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, and Kurt Busch, who gave a shot at the exhausting 1100-mile race, Kyle was desirous of locking horns in the realm of open-wheel racing as well.

During Denny Hamlin's Actions Detrimental podcast, the two-time Cup Series champion shared that despite getting the green light from the sponsor and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Mr. Gibbs refrained from letting Busch participate in the Indy 500.

Busch exited JGR after the 2022 season and joined Richard Childress Racing. The Nevada native bagged the 2015 and 2019 Cup Series championships with Gibbs and received top-tier support from his sponsors and Toyota. Moreover, when he desired to compete in the 2017 Indy 500, M&M, Chevrolet, and Toyota were ready to back the effort.

However, Joe Gibbs denied.

"I had an opportunity done, sealed, signed, delivered... I had it. It was all done. M&M’s was gonna do it. Guess who said no?" Busch said.(44:10).

Hamlin assumed it was his current boss, Joe Gibbs, and replied to Busch. The RCR driver confirmed it was Mr. Gibbs.

"Yep," Busch replied. "Chevrolet was okay with it, Toyota was okay with it, M&M was paying for it."

The #8 Chevy driver's brother, Kurt Busch, competed in the 2014 doubleheader event for Stewart-Haas Racing. Thus, Kyle's participation would've added another Busch to the noteworthy list of Double Duty participants.

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Kyle Busch secures the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race ticket

Kyle Busch- NASCAR: Cup Practice and Qualifying - Source: Imagn

Kyle Busch began his maiden season with RCR on a strong note. The future first-ballot NASCAR Hall of Famer clinched his first win for Mr. Richard Childress in his second start for the organization at the 2023 Fontana race. He continued the upward trend and claimed two more victories before the playoffs began.

However, Busch hasn't been able to park his #8 Chevy in the victory lane since he triumphed at the World Wide Technology Raceway. He missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012 last season, and is provisionally below the cutline this season.

As a full-time NASCAR driver with two Cup Series championships, Busch is automatically eligible for the 2025 All-Star Race. Except for an active Cup champion, only former All-Star winners who still run full-time and race victors from the 2024 and 2025 seasons are eligible to participate in this season's million-dollar race.

With a solitary top 5 from the Circuit of The Americas and four top-10s, Kyle Busch will enter the next points-paying race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ranked 18th.