M&Ms is returning to the NASCAR Cup Series to honor Kyle Busch at the Bristol Night Race with spring race winner Ty Gibbs.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — M&Ms is returning to the NASCAR Cup Series to honor Kyle Busch at the Bristol Night Race with spring race winner Ty Gibbs.
Gibbs will run a No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE adorned with a throwback to the paint scheme Busch made iconic with JGR from 2008 to 2022. The scheme will be layered with a mosaic of photos showing Busch's iconic run with the organization.
Busch won nine races at Bristol Motor Speedway – eight on the concrete and one on dirt – in the NASCAR Cup Series. In total, he won 23 NASCAR national series races at Bristol, accounting for around 10% of his 234 total NASCAR national series wins.
Busch's 234th and final national series win was in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover Motor Speedway, just six days before he unexpectedly passed away at age 41. The NASCAR legend left behind two children – Brexton and Lennix – and his wife, Samantha Busch, who posted about the tribute Thursday.
"Bristol was always one of Kyle’s favorite tracks. He loved racing under the lights, found so much success there and the iconic M&M’S car holds some of the best memories of his career and our life together," Samantha Busch said. "Going back without him will be heartbreaking. He should be there. But I’m so grateful to be able to tell you that those iconic M&M’S colors will be coming back to Bristol, one last time, on the 54 car."
The No. 54 car brings everything full circle. Busch chose to run it when he opened Kyle Busch Motorsports' NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series team in 2012 and brought it to Joe Gibbs Racing when KBM and JGR combined their NOAPS operations.
After Busch stepped away from NOAPS racing, JGR kept the No. 54. With the number, Gibbs won in his NOAPS debut at the Daytona Road Course in 2021, clinched the NOAPS championship in 2022 and went Cup racing in 2023 as Busch's replacement.
Busch left JGR after M&Ms departed, causing sponsorship issues and an impasse for the duo. Richard Childress Racing signed Busch, who raced for them until he died in May.
Busch won for RCR just three times and made the Chase once – all in 2023. However, his legacy was already cemented, as exemplified by all of the tributes to him after he died.
Paying tribute to him at Bristol – one of his best tracks – is a cherry on top.
"It’s a chance to honor him at a place he loved so much, surrounded by our NASCAR family and the fans who loved him too. I know Kyle would want us to be there, to keep showing up, keep racing, and keep carrying his legacy forward," Samantha Busch said. "We hope you’ll join us at Bristol as we celebrate Kyle, the incredible legacy he left behind and the love he had for racing that will always be a part of our family."
At the time of Kyle Busch's death, he earned 63 Cup Series wins, 102 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series wins and 69 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins.
