Kyle Busch likely will run for Nationwide Series title in 2009
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Kyle Busch likely will run for the NASCAR Nationwide Series title next year, Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs said Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Missing five races during the 2008 season, Busch finished sixth in the standings, 671 points behind champion Clint Bowyer. Busch won 10 races.
Gibbs said the team is close on sponsorship for the full season and if it can get it, then Busch would run the entire schedule – one that includes five weekends where the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series run in different cities.
Most of the sponsorship for Busch will come from Z-Line Design, JGR Nationwide Series general manager Steve DeSouza said.
“We’ll probably turn Kyle loose in one for pretty much the whole thing it looks like,” Gibbs said after the No. 20 team won the 2008 owners championship.
Busch said Saturday he had not been told if he was running the full season. Gibbs said he was unsure whether Busch would run with the No. 20 team or the No. 18 team. Busch primarily drove for the No. 18 this year but did win a race in the 20 car.
“If somebody goes for the championship in the 18 or the 20 next year, [they] can certainly be a force to be reckoned with,” Busch said.
Gibbs said the second JGR Nationwide car will feature mostly Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. Logano’s sponsorship is expected to come from GameStop for about 24 races, with Hamlin running the rest with a sponsor to be announced, DeSouza said.
