Kyle Busch reveals Joe Gibbs shut down his Indy 500 double attempt

Kyle Busch wanted to run the 2017 Indianapolis 500. His brother, Kurt Busch, attempted the Indy-Charlotte Double three years prior and now, he wanted to give it a shot.

Chevrolet was OK with it. Toyota was OK with it. M&M’s was paying for it,” Busch revealed on Monday’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast.

But there was a hiccup. Joe Gibbs, whom Busch drove for at the time, said no.

“I had an opportunity done, sealed, signed, delivered. … 2017, I had it. It was all done,” Busch said. “M&M’s was gonna do it. Guess who said no?”

Hamlin guessed Gibbs; Busch confirmed it was him. But get this; this wasn’t the first time Busch’s attempt to run the Indy 500 came up short. Had sponsorship worked out differently, Busch could have competed in last year’s event. Instead, it was NASCAR rival Kyle Larson who attempted the Indy-Charlotte Double.

Kyle Busch was set to run 2024 Indy 500 before Kyle Larson took his ride

“No, I had it signed, sealed, and delivered again and then Larson took it,” Busch said. “Yes, I won’t release the sponsor but I had a sponsor talking to Zac Brown, the deal was done, and we were about ready to go to contract and Zac Brown was like, ‘Well, hey,’ told the sponsor, he was like, ‘Hey, I need you to buy the car.’ And the sponsor was like, ‘Why do I want to buy the car? I don’t want to buy the car, I don’t need the car, I want to sponsor the car. I’m sponsoring Kyle, he’s going to drive the car. I don’t want to buy the car.’ [Brown said] ‘In case he wrecks the tub, we want you to buy the tub.’”

Busch added, “Well, it wasn’t two weeks later that then I’m talking to this sponsor guy, and he was like, ‘Yeah, I guess that we’re too late anyways now that the opportunity’s closed because Larson got it.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean Larson got it?’ Then I found out Larson signed a two-year deal, and we were only going to do a one-year deal.”

Larson finished 18th in last year’s Indy 500. He did not complete a single lap in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway due to weather. Larson is giving it another go this Memorial Day weekend.

But imagine if it were Busch. Would he have fared just as well as Larson did? Now 40, it would appear unlikely he ever gets the chance to find out.