“We have to have contingency plans,” TRD president David Wilson on Kyle Busch’s contract extension uncertainty
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Kyle Busch and TRD president David Wilson
With two championship victories and 60 race victories under his belt, Kyle Busch is without a doubt the greatest driver to ever operate a Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series. Busch won the title two times in 2015 and 2019, both times in the No. 18 Toyota Camry of Joe Gibbs Racing, a well-known Toyota team on the grid. But because the contract renewal between the driver and the team has not yet occurred, Team-Toyota is in danger of losing their greatest driver.
But the team is facing a catastrophic situation, to say the least regarding keeping the veteran in the Toyota Garage. Following the announcement of M&M, the candy company that was the premier sponsor of Kyle Busch for more than a decade, JGR is finding it hard to find a suitable replacement that can assure them the similar sponsorship M&M used to provide for Kyle Busch. Now Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson has come forth to express his thoughts on the matter at hand.
Find out what David Wilson said
David Wilson acknowledged that if they are unable to find a suitable sponsorship deal, they have to come up with something that can bridge it or they have to come up with a contingency plan to address the worsening contract situation. When asked about the certainty of Busch staying with TRD he acknowledged that they are in a bad place right now and has some huge weight t lift.
“If there’s no sponsorship there, maybe we can create a bridge somewhere… We have to have contingency plans. Rest assured, we’re thinking about every way this can go,” David Wilson said.
Asked if he was confident of a deal getting done, or if he foresaw having to say goodbye to Busch at the end of the season, Wilson said: “I wish I could handicap it for you … but I just can’t. We’re in a bad place right now … we’ve got some tremendously heavy lifting in front of us,”.
David Wilson went on to explain the situation using a baseball analogy as its easy to imagine success with the partners they thought they were going to land when they were at bottom of the third inning but now, they are at bottom of the seventh with no sponsors to cover their backs going forward.
“I use the baseball analogy in that a couple of months ago it was much easier to imagine success, and we had some partners that we thought we were going to land. And that was the bottom of the third inning (of a nine-inning game). Now we’re in the bottom of the seventh. And the fact is that we don’t have it,” David Wilson explained.
He went on to say that he and JGR owner Joe Gibbs converse about the situation every night about the situation as it is tough though the resolution for it remains the same. He pointed out that they were not going to quit anytime as such deals take some time to manifest. He went on to say he feels sorry for Busch as it’s a big distraction for him to hang around pointing out that even the driver has acknowledged it.
“Joe (Gibbs) and I talk every night. This is the most important consideration that we are struggling with and working on. Our resolve has not changed one bit. We are not going to quit. … Sometimes these deals come together very late,” said David Wilson.
“It doesn’t get easier, that’s for certain. For Kyle, I feel terrible because of the distraction, I think he admitted this, but the distraction now is real. While I say that Kyle is one of those athletes that can strap on his helmet and put that aside, he’s still human,” added David Wilson.
David Wilson went on to add that he counsels with Busch and has expressed that having him around is a big deal for the team to make sure they have not given up on him. He went on to say that he urged Busch to have his hawed in the game and a collaborative mindset which is much needed in this market situation.
“So, my counsel to him (this past weekend) was around the partnership and how important this remains for Toyota and for Coach Gibbs. Made sure he knew we hadn’t given up. Just urged him to keep his head in the game and maintain a collaborative perspective because we’re going to need him to get this done as well. … It’s a different marketplace and we’re facing some headwinds with the economy that everybody is facing,” says David Wilson.
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Justin P Joy
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