Busch’s departure from Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the 2022 season necessitated changes to KBM, which has traditionally fielded Toyota truck teams and provided rides for some of Toyota’s development drivers.
On Friday, Busch announced KBM will field two fulltime teams next year, with a multi-year deal with driver Chase Purdy in the No. 4 Chevrolet.
The organization will also field an “all-star” team, the No. 51, which will feature several drivers, anchored by Jack Wood for a minimum of 10 races. Busch said he will also drive some races for the team.
In addition to its own teams, KBM will partner with Rev Racing in a technical alliance to field a fulltime Truck Series team, the No. 2 Chevrolet, for 2022 ARCA Menards Series champion Nick Sanchez.
“Obviously there will be a lot of change at KBM in 2023, but our goal as an organization remains the same that it always has been and that’s to go out and win races and provide the young drivers in our lineup everything they need to reach their full potential,” Busch said.
“We have the right people in place to be able to accomplish those goals for our two trucks as well as being able to provide technical support to Rev Racing as they expand into the Truck Series and create a pipeline for young drivers in their program to advance their careers to the next level.”
Who are Purdy and Wood?
Purdy, 22, finished fourth in the 2018 ARCA standings before turning his focuses to finishing his education at the University of Mississippi. He returned to racing fulltime in 2021, moving up to the Truck Series. Across 51 career Truck starts, Purdy has five top-10 finishes.
“KBM has great people that build really fast trucks and I’m confident we can do big things together the next two seasons,” Purdy said. “I appreciate everyone involved that helped put me in this position and I can’t wait for next season to start.”
Wood, 22, moved from ARCA to Trucks in May 2021, where he earned one top-10 and three top-15 finishes competing in 12 of the last 13 races. He has been competing fulltime in Trucks this season with GMS Racing where he is 23rd in the series standings.
Growing up racing on the west coast I never would’ve dreamed that I’d be racing for Kyle Busch Motorsports and sharing a truck with Kyle -- it’s truly the opportunity of a lifetime and I can’t even put into words how excited that I am,” Wood said.
