PHOENIX, Ariz: The final piece of the Kyle Busch 2023 puzzle came to fruition on Friday afternoon at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway, as Kyle Busch Motorsports announced they will field two full-time Trucks for the newly rebranded NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series starting in February at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
With Busch’s departure from Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing following Sunday’s Cup Series race at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway, the Mooresville, N.C.-based team will move from Toyota to Chevrolet.
The team has tapped Chase Purdy to its flagship No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado in a multi-year deal, while Jack Wood will move from Chevrolet-team GMS Racing to KBM in a minimum of 10 races as the anchor driver of the team’s “All-Star” No. 51 Chevrolet Silverado truck.
Busch said he will also drive some races in the No. 51 truck and hinted that new Petty GMS part owner Jimmie Johnson could compete in the “All-Star” truck as well.
In addition to its own teams, KBM will partner with Rev Racing in a technical alliance to field a fulltime No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado Truck Series entry 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,” 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 program to advance their careers to the next level.”
Purdy, 22 will unite with Kyle Busch Motorsports and reunite with Chevrolet after spending the 2022 season with Hattori Racing Enterprises. Purdy finished fourth in the 2018 ARCA championship standings before taking a brief sabbatical to finish his education at the University of Mississippi.
He returned to racing fulltime in 2021 driving for GMS Racing. In 51 career Truck Series starts entering Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150, Purdy has five top-10 finishes, including two in 2022 with a season-high seventh at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last month.
“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, a native of Loomis, Calif. graduated from ARCA to Trucks in May 21, where he earned one top-10 and three top-15 finishes competing in 12 of the last 13 races. In 2022, he has a season-best 13th place run at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in March and is 23rd in the championship standings ahead of Friday night’s season finale.
“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.
Further announcements on the driver schedule for the No. 51 team, which is set to include drivers from the Xfinity and Cup Series, as well as crew chiefs and sponsors for both teams are forthcoming.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
