Spring Bristol winner Ty Gibbs honors Kyle Busch with M&M’s paint scheme
BRISTOL, Tenn.—Kyle Busch is no longer with us, but his presence at Bristol Motor Speedway will be more than just spiritual on Saturday.
On Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing unveiled a paint scheme that harkens to Busch’s heyday in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Honoring Busch, who passed away suddenly in May, Gibbs will run the throwback M&M’s Camry in Saturday’s Bass Prop Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“I thought it looked awesome,” Gibbs said, who won this year’s spring race at Thunder Valley. “I grew up around the M&M’s car and being able to see it in person is just so cool, especially with the 54 on it, too (instead of Busch’s No. 18).
“It’s just so cool to be a part of it this weekend.”
Bristol is the appropriate venue to have the M&M’s car commemorate Busch’s legacy. He claimed eight of his 63 Cup Series victories at the track as well as nine wins in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and five in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
In both 2010 and 2017, Busch swept NASCAR weekends in all three series at Bristol, a feat unequaled by any other driver at any other track.
JGR driver Christopher Bell witnessed the unveiling of the car earlier this week.
“It’s going to be really weird, for sure, seeing that thing out there,” said Bell, the defending winner of the Night Race. “Just happy (for) the memories. I think it’s going to be a really, really cool tribute, and it’s going to be fun to see it out there.”
Denny Hamlin, Busch’s long-time teammate, said the unveiling was a family affair, with Busch’s widow Samantha sharing photos at the occasion.
“It was good to see Samantha and her family there checking things out,” Hamlin said. “There were quite a few funny pictures that I got to check out. It’s great for them to get that tribute, and it’s obviously well-deserved.”
Kyle Larson celebrates win with football trip to Kansas City
After ending his 51-race winless streak at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway last Sunday, Kyle Larson was treated to a special kind of celebration the following day.
Through his personal relationship with Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, an ardent NASCAR fan, Larson got top-drawer treatment at the Monday Night Football game between the Chiefs and Denver Broncos.
Larson also got to rub elbows with actor Tom Cruise, who announced recently that the NASCAR-centric film “Days of Thunder 2” will be released in 2028.
“Last year I got to sit in on a quarterback meeting prior to one of the practices, but the schedule never allowed me to get to a home game,” Larson said. “To get to go this past Monday, for Monday Night Football, I had a really good time.
“They gave us first-class treatment. It was really cool. I got to go on the field before the game and watch them warm up. They had us up in the suite to watch the game, and then I got to go in the locker room after the game and say hi to some players.”
Cruise spent the majority of the game in a suite with Taylor Swift, among others, but he and Larson talked briefly.
“It was just a quick hello with Tom,” Larson said. “I wasn’t hanging out in their suite by any means. It was just neat to bump into him again, shortly after seeing him a couple of weeks ago announcing ‘Days of Thunder 2.’”
NASCAR Awards venue brings new format to postseason celebration
This year’s postseason recognition of NASCAR drivers and teams will be done South Florida-style.
The NASCAR National Series Awards are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, featuring significant format changes from years past, the sanctioning body announced Friday.
The Arsht Center in downtown Miami will feature an auditorium/theater-style presentation as opposed to the banquet-style seating arrangement typically used for NASCAR Awards shows.
Dress will be “Miami cocktail chic,” versus the traditional tuxedo-optional attire.
All 16 NASCAR Cup Series Chase drivers will participate and have some sort of on-stage presence in the program, which will take place two days after the final Cup Series Chase race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Drivers from the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series who were eligible for their respective titles entering the Homestead races also will be included, as will the Rookie-of-the-Year winners from each of the three national series.
“The championship is the culmination of everything our drivers and teams work for all season, and we want the celebration that follows to feel just as big,” said Michael Verlatti, NASCAR Vice President, Signature Experience Group.
“Miami is one of the world’s most dynamic cities, and it provides an incredible backdrop to celebrate our champions and bring the energy of Championship Weekend into a new setting. We’re excited to give our fans and industry a NASCAR Awards experience unlike any we’ve had before.”
The event will be live-streamed exclusively on the NASCAR Channel, starting at 6 p.m.
NASCAR also announced that the 2026 NASCAR Regional, Touring, Weekly & International Awards will take place Friday, Nov. 20 in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center.
Justin Haley reaches competitive milestone in Kaulig Ram Truck
With a fourth-place finish in the UNOH 250 Presented by Ohio Logistics, Justin Haley scored the first top-five finish for a Ram truck since Kaulig Racing brought the brand to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series this season.
With a solid, consistent effort on Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, Haley drove the No. 16 Ram 1500 to a 10th-place finish in the opening stage. In a race won by ThorSport Racing’s Jake Garcia, he climbed into the top five when several frontrunners had late-race issues.
Haley’s finish was a bright spot for Kaulig, which undertook the formidable task of fielding five trucks in Ram’s foray into NASCAR racing.
“Obviously, it’s been a tough season on all of us, but we never gave up, and we believe in ourselves and each other,” Haley said after the race.
“I’m thankful to Ram, (team owner) Matt Kaulig and (team president) Chris Rice for inviting me to come do this deal after last year.
“It’s pretty cool to run fourth. Man, it’s been a grind—it’s been a grind for all five of these trucks. We’ll see what we can learn off this truck and keep the momentum going.”
— NASCAR News Wire —