Kyle Busch Motorsports confirms Chevrolet switch, allies with Rev Racing

To no real surprise, Kyle Busch Motorsports will switch from Toyota to Chevrolet for the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, aligning with their namesake owner’s move. With the team’s drivers being part of Toyota’s development programme, they had to draw their new racers from Chevrolet’s pool, which ultimately procured Chase Purdy and Jack Wood. Purdy will drive the #4 Chevrolet Silverado RST while Wood will share the #51 with Busch and various other drivers.

KBM will also assist ARCA Menards Series team Rev Racing in establishing a Truck Series arm. Freshly crowned ARCA champion Nick Sanchez will contest the full Truck season in the #2 Silverado.

“Obviously, there will be a lot of change at KBM in 2023, but our goal as an organisation 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,” said Busch. “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 programme to advance their careers to the next level.”

Wood migrates from fellow Chevrolet team GMS Racing, with whom he is contesting his rookie season and currently sits twenty-third in points with a best finish of thirteenth at Atlanta. He is a member of Chevy’s Drivers Edge Development who first entered the Trucks in 2021 after spending the last two years competing in the ARCA Menards Series West for his family-run team.

“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,” Wood commented. “It’s truly the opportunity of a lifetime and I can’t even put into words how excited that I am.

“To have the chance to learn from arguably one of the best to ever do it is going to be an incredible experience for me and I’m extremely thankful to everyone at Chevrolet and KBM that made this possible. I know that I have a lot of hard work ahead of me, but KBM will be surrounding me with everything I need to continue to grow as a driver and I can’t wait to get started.”

Purdy returns to Chevy after spending 2022 with Hattori Racing Enterprises. Despite a pair of top tens, otherwise middling performances prompted him and HRE to announce their split at season’s end in October. He also raced for GMS in 2020 and 2021, running the full season in the latter and finishing nineteenth in points with two top tens.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the #4 truck and my goal is to join the long list of winners that KBM has produced,” Purdy stated. “KBM has great people that build really fast trucks and I’m confident we can do big things together the next two seasons. I appreciate everyone involved that helped put me in this position and I can’t wait for next season to start.”

Rev Racing serves as the official team for NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity, a programme intended to help women and minorities break into the sport. The team regularly rotates their lineup with notable success stories including Cup Series stars Kyle Larson, who won the 2012 now-ARCA East championship, Daniel Suárez, and Bubba Wallace. Suárez and Wallace later graduated to the Trucks with KBM.

“This is a pivotal moment for our organisation,” said Rev owner Max Siegel. “With our unwavering focus on a commitment to diversify the sport while putting a model in place to train and prepare drivers for the next level of competition, and because of our strategic partnership with Gainbridge announced earlier this year, we have never been more prepared for this next stage of advancement. Working with our technical partners at KBM and Chevrolet, we know Rev Racing and Nick are positioned for competitive excellence.”

“Unofficially, we’ve been a part of helping former Rev Racing drivers take the next step in their NASCAR careers in the Truck Series, with Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suárez both getting victories in a KBM truck, so we’re looking forward to aligning with Max, Jennifer (Siegel) and everyone at Rev Racing to now officially be a part of the pipeline for young drivers in their diversity program to continue to advance into the national series of NASCAR,” Busch continued. “Nick is an impressive young driver, winning the ARCA title this year and has had some solid runs in the Xfinity Series as well, so we’re looking forward to having him be the trendsetter of what we’re confident will be a successful program for many years to come.”

Sanchez won three times and held off GMS driver Daniel Dye and Rev team-mate Rajah Caruth for the ARCA title. He is also running a limited Xfinity Series slate that began with B.J. McLeod Motorsports before finishing out the year with Big Machine Racing Team. He scored his maiden Xfinity top ten at Martinsville in seventh.

“I’m very excited to continue driving for Max and Rev Racing in the Truck Series in 2023,” Sanchez offered. “To be able to join forces with our technical partner KBM is a great opportunity for me to learn how to win on a regular basis. Continuing my relationship with Chevrolet and Gainbridge is something that I value greatly and this is seemingly another step in our long-term plan/goal.”

KBM had been the premier Toyota team since their founding in 2010, winning ninety-eight races, seven owner’s championships, and two driver’s titles with Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017). While such an operation is a major loss for Toyota, they will fill the gap with TRICON Garage, who returns to the Japanese make after three years with Ford.