Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) is an American professional dirt racing team that competes in dirt divisions across the United States.
They formerly competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, CARS Tour, ARCA/CRA Super Series, Southern Super Series, ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, and ARCA Menards Series West, and was also the parent company of Super Late Model chassis constructor Rowdy Manufacturing. Originally fielding Toyota Tundras since its inception, the team switched to Chevrolet Silverados beginning in 2023. The team last fielded two full-time Chevrolet Silverados: the No. 4 for Chase Purdy and the No. 51, which was driven each year by the team owner Kyle Busch along with Jack Wood and multiple Chevrolet drivers from other NASCAR series.
History
KBM was founded after Busch purchased the remaining assets of Xpress Motorsports from J.B. Scott (father of driver Brian Scott) in late 2009 as well as purchasing trucks from Roush Fenway Racing, which had closed its Truck team the previous year. Rick Ren, the crew chief on Ron Hornaday Jr.'s 2009 championship team, would be signed as the team's competition director. Busch had competed in the Truck Series for the 2008 and 2009 seasons in the No. 51 for Billy Ballew Motorsports with Miccosukee Indian Gaming as his primary sponsor, and had split the ride with Brian Ickler the previous year.
Busch brought Ickler to the KBM stable, and signed Tayler Malsam away from Randy Moss Motorsports after he finished second in series Rookie of the Year standings to former Cup and Busch/Nationwide driver Johnny Sauter. The team ambitiously planned to run three trucks in its debut season: Busch and Ickler would split the primary truck (No. 18), Malsam was to drive a second truck for KBM, the No. 56 ActivWater/Talking Rain Tundra, and a third was to be fielded for 2008 series champion Johnny Benson if sponsorship could be found. The Miccosukee sponsorship was to carry over to Busch's primary truck as part of an agreement with Phoenix Racing. On February 7, however, the Miccosukee tribe's new leadership pulled out of NASCAR altogether, leaving Busch's team and Phoenix's Cup and Nationwide series teams without sponsorship. Benson would also be limited to a part-time schedule with KBM and Ballew, and Malsam's team ceased operations after only seven races.
After operating out of the former Xpress shop for most of its first season, the team opened its new $10 million facility in Mooresville, North Carolina on October 14, 2010.
In 2011, KBM made its first foray into the then-Nationwide Series (now NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) in conjunction with NEMCO Motorsports. The team moved to full-time in 2012. On November 16, 2013, Busch announced that the team would not race in the Nationwide Series in 2014 due to lack of funding.
In December 2014, former competition director Rick Ren (released after 2013) filed a lawsuit against the team for breach of contract, claiming the team failed to pay him a contractual bonus and 10% commissions for two sponsorship deals Ren claimed to have procured for the team, totaling 355,000. The sponsorships in question – Central Kentucky Angus Sales for driver Parker Kligerman and Sabala Whitetail for driver Brian Scott (owned by Scott's father J. B. Scott) – had prior associations with the drivers.
On January 25, 2021, Busch announced the team's late model program would be temporarily shut down in order to better manage his other obligations, though he did not rule out the possibility of a revival in the future.
After receiving engines from Triad Racing Technologies early in its history, KBM would ultimately receive engines and technical support from Joe Gibbs Racing through 2022.
After JGR and Toyota failed to secure a replacement for Busch's departing primary sponsor Mars, Incorporated after 2022, it was reported that Busch would depart from the team and manufacturer after 15 seasons. On September 13, 2022, Busch announced that he had signed with Richard Childress Racing to drive the No. 8 in the Cup Series in 2023, returning to Chevrolet for the first time since 2007. On November 4, 2022, KBM announced that Chase Purdy would pilot the No. 4 full-time in a multi-year deal beginning in 2023, the No. 51 would be shared by Busch, Jack Wood, and other TBA drivers, and a technical partnership with Rev Racing as they expanded into the Truck Series with 2022 ARCA Menards Series Champion Nick Sanchez piloting the No. 2 Chevrolet.
On September 27, 2023, it was announced that Spire Motorsports had purchased the assets of KBM, and that they would suspend their operations at the conclusion of the season, along with Busch's manufacturing company, Rowdy Manufacturing.
In February 2024, KBM sued Rev Racing for breach of contract. The lawsuit states that KBM was owed 325,000 for bringing Nick Sanchez into the Truck Series. Three months later, KBM dropped the lawsuit, indicating that both parties have reached a settlement.
After selling assets and suspending operations in the Craftsman Truck Series, KBM downsized and continued operating as a small dirt team mainly fielding different types of dirt cars for both Kyle Busch and his son, Brexton Busch. The pair race on local dirt tracks across the country with sponsorship from Lucas Oil and Servpro.
On May 21, 2026, Kyle Busch passed away from illness. It is unknown who the team's ownership will be.
Nationwide Series In May 2011, Kimi Räikkönen made his Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 87 Perky Jerky Toyota Camry. The car was fielded in an alliance between KBM and NEMCO Motorsports, guaranteeing Räikkönen a spot in the field. Räikkönen started 22nd and finished 27th, four laps down.
Car No. 54 history
Kyle Busch & Kurt Busch (2012) For 2012, KBM added a full-time Nationwide team, the No. 54 Toyota Camry. The car was split by both Kyle Busch and older brother Kurt, both with sponsorship from Monster Energy. Kyle ran 22 races while Kurt ran 11. The team struggled in its initial year, winning only one race with Kurt at Richmond. This was the first time in his Nationwide Series career that Kyle Busch did not score a victory over the course of a season, leading him to return to Joe Gibbs Racing's Nationwide program for 2013, bringing the No. 54 Toyota Camry and Monster Energy with him.
Car No. 54 results NASCAR Nationwide Series results Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Owners Pts 2012 Kyle Busch 54 Toyota DAY18 PHO11 LVS33 BRI17 CAL8 TAL2* CLT3 DAY23 NHA28 CHI27 IRP22* GLN6 CGV10 BRI3 ATL7 CHI2 DOV5 CLT4 KAN6 TEX3 PHO4 HOM2* 8th 1122 Kurt Busch TEX30 RCH1 DAR8 IOW5 DOV4 MCH3 ROA8 KEN2 IOW17 RCH3 KEN28
Car No. 77 history
Parker Kligerman (2013)
For 2013, 22-year-old Parker Kligerman, a former development driver for Team Penske, was signed to run his first full Nationwide Series schedule in the No. 77 Toyota Camry, with sponsorship from Toyota and Bandit Chippers. Despite finishing 9th in the standings, owner Busch announced after the Ford EcoBoost 300 that he would be shutting down the Nationwide team due to a lack of funding.
Car No. 77 results NASCAR Nationwide Series results Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Owners Pts 2013 Parker Kligerman 77 Toyota DAY5 PHO19 LVS30 BRI9 CAL4 TEX12 RCH11 TAL6 DAR15 CLT9 DOV11 IOW14 MCH25 ROA3 KEN16 DAY18 NHA20 CHI6 IND18 IOW16 GLN6 MOH13 BRI35 ATL16 RCH36 CHI8 KEN29 DOV7 KAN7 CLT9 TEX13 PHO12 HOM7 13th 993
Craftsman Truck Series
Truck No. 4 history
Erik Jones (2015) The No. 4 Truck Began in 2015. Erik Jones began running a third KBM truck full-time after running the No. 51 part-time in 2013 and 2014. In December 2014, it was announced that the truck would be number 4. Jones would have his best season with collecting 3 wins, 11 top-five and 20 top-ten finishes to win the championship title. Jones also collected rookie of the year honors. This would be the first driver's championship at KBM and the third consecutive owner's title.
Christopher Bell (2016–2017) Christopher Bell moved into the truck full-time for 2016. Bell was involved in a violent crash near the end of the season opener at Daytona. His truck gripped the track, causing the truck to go on two wheels before it launched into the air and barrel-rolled multiple times. He was credited with a 16th-place finish. He would finish the season with one win at Gateway and a 3rd-place points finish. Bell returned to the truck in 2017 and won the NCWTS Championship at Homestead–Miami Speedway.
Todd Gilliland (2018–2019) For 2018, KBM announced that Todd Gilliland would compete for Rookie of the Year honors driving the No. 4 truck for 19 races. Gilliland missed the first four of the season due to age restrictions; his father David Gilliland would drive at the season opener at Daytona and owner Kyle Busch would drive at Atlanta and Kansas. Spencer Davis raced at Las Vegas. Gilliland ran the full 2019 Truck season and won at Martinsville, but was replaced by Raphaël Lessard in 2020.
Raphaël Lessard (2020) In 2020, Raphaël Lessard was tabbed to drive the 4 full time. Although he won at Talladega, his results did not allow him to keep his ride and was released from the team following the 2020 season.
John Hunter Nemechek (2021–2022)
In 2021, Lessard was released and replaced with John Hunter Nemechek, who drove the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford in his rookie season in the Cup Series in 2020 but decided to leave FRM to return to the Truck Series full-time, which he previously did in 2016 and 2017 in the No. 8 truck for his family team, NEMCO Motorsports, and won four races in those two years. Lessard ended up going to GMS Racing, where he would sign to drive at least 12 races for the team with hopes of a full season, depending on sponsorship. Nemechek won 5 races in 2021 and finished 4th in points. He then signed a contract extension through 2022. Nemechek would not return to the team in 2023 due to Kyle Busch Motorsports switching from Toyota to Chevrolet, as Nemechek had a contract with Toyota and not the team.
Chase Purdy (2023)
Chase Purdy would pilot the No. 4 full time in KBM's first season with Chevrolet. On April 6, the No. 4 was docked 10 driver and owner points for illegal modifications of the engine oil reservoir tank prior to the Texas race.
Truck No. 4 results YearDriverNo.Make1234567891011121314151617181920212223Pts2015Erik Jones4ToyotaDAY2ATL7MAR3KAN11*CLT2*DOV3TEX15GTW23*IOW1*KEN2*ELD4POC10MCH3BRI6MSP1CHI6NHA7LVS9TAL4MAR10TEX1*PHO9*HOM61st8992016Christopher BellDAY16ATL26MAR19KAN4DOV3CLT8TEX32IOW9GTW1KEN4ELD2POC10BRI7*MCH24MSP5CHI4NHA2LVS6TAL6MAR4TEX11PHO7HOM84th40252017DAY8ATL1*MAR3*KAN4CLT3DOV25TEX1*GTW6IOW5*KEN1*ELD9POC1MCH2BRI7MSP26CHI3NHA1*LVS2*TAL2MAR8TEX3PHO8*HOM21st40352018David GillilandDAY2111th744Kyle BuschATL21*KAN2Spencer DavisLVSTodd GillilandMARDOVCLTTEXIOWGTWCHIKENELDPOCMCHBRIMSPLVSTALMARTEXPHOHOM2019DAYATLLVSMARTEXDOVKANCLTTEXIOWGTWCHIKENPOCELDMCHBRIMSPLVSTALMARPHOHOM12th7232020Raphaël LessardDAY20LVS30CLT15ATL18HOM11POC37KEN13TEX12KAN16KAN11MCH7DAY3DOV19GTW6DAR6RCH26BRI18LVS20TAL1KAN33TEX4MAR20PHO513th5632021John Hunter NemechekDAY7DAY3LVS1*ATL3BRI39RCH1*KAN5DAR8*COA12CLT1*TEX1*NSH10POC1KNX11GLN2GTW22DAR2BRI3LVS33TAL4MAR39PHO73rd40302022DAY24*LVS25ATL24COA2MAR4BRI3DAR1*KAN6TEX6 CLT3 GTW35 SON8 KNX2 NSH9 MOH28 POC3 IRP10* RCH2 KAN1 BRI12 TAL24 HOM35 PHO4 5th 2285 2023 Chase PurdyChevy DAY17 LVS8 ATL7 COA27 TEX2 BRD28 MAR10 KAN33 DAR32 NWS8CLT16 GTW5 NSH6 MOH13 POC18 RCH22 IRP14 MLW6 KAN14 BRI8 TAL28 HOM10 PHO3 11th 582
Truck No. 9 history
William Byron (2015–2016)