Joe Gibbs Racing

Today Mars, Inc. announced that Kyle Busch would be removed from the M&M's sponsored No. 18 Toyota for the balance of the season.

The M&M's paint scheme will not be used until the 2012 season, at which time it is expected Busch will return to the car with the expectations no further incidents take place.

In the official press release from Joe Gibbs Racing, Gibbs stated, "We strongly support Mars' decision. This gives us all time to work together to foster a positive change where Kyle can continue racing in a way we can all be proud of."

Busch is expected to race the No. 18 at Phoenix and Homestead-Miami in the Cup races with long-time partner of Joe Gibbs Racing, Interstate Batteries, who has been with them since the beginning 20 years ago.

A press conference will be held at the media center of Phoenix International Raceway, Friday at 9:30 a.m. MST with Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, and Kyle Busch.

Information was obtained from an official press release of Joe Gibbs Racing.

While covering the Sprint Cup NASCAR weekend at Martinsville Speedway I had the opportunity to meet Michael McDowell. I interviewed the driver of the No. 66 Victory Junction Toyota immediately after he had posted the fastest time in Happy Hour on Saturday.

A start-and-parker for the majority of the season, McDowell's best 2011 Cup finish is 30th at Sonoma in June.

However, he has made the most of the opportunity to drive several races for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series. In five 2011 Nationwide starts, McDowell finished no worse than 12th with a best finish of third. He led 66 laps, including 30 at Road America, where he had the dominant car and won the pole.

The chance to run in top-notch equipment was a breath of fresh air to McDowell.

"Everybody at this level (Sprint Cup) has won a lot of races somewhere. For me, it's been a humbling experience to come into NASCAR and struggle like I have. To get in great equipment at JGR and have a shot to show people what I can do is a lot of fun."

That's not to say McDowell has never made an impression in the Sprint Cup Series. McDowell is perhaps best known for his spectacular crash during Sprint Cup qualifying at Texas in 2008. The video has since become a YouTube sensation.

"When it first happened, I didn’t know whether it was going to stop. It felt like everything happened in super slow-motion, and it felt like it was never going to stop," said McDowell. "My initial response was, “I hope I don’t lose my job,” because it was only my second Sprint Cup for Michael Waltrip. The team was underfunded at the time anyways, so to go out there and crash in qualifying was not a good thing for my career."

"But to walk away from that is nothing short of miraculous. For me, it just gave me the faith and the confidence that God has me here for a reason. He’s used that crash as a witness tool and a platform for me to share my story."

McDowell, a strong Christian, believes God has a purpose for him being in NASCAR. McDowell doesn't define his life by NASCAR, saying "it's not who I am; it's just what I do.

"I think the faith is something for me that’s not just a backup plan or an emergency thing, it’s a way of life," McDowell added. "To walk away from some of the accidents I’ve walked away from and to stay in this sport and to have the opportunities I’ve had, to drive for JGR this year, I know those are all things God has provided.

"It’s not something I’ve worked for or necessarily earned or deserved, and my perspective on that this is that God can do whatever He wants with whoever He wants, and if He wants me to drive the 24 for Hendrick next year, He could make it happen."

Well, McDowell just got his wish...almost, and a lot sooner than he had imagined.

Mere days after my interview with the driver of the usual start-and-park No. 66, McDowell was called upon to drive the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 machine usually piloted by Kyle Busch.

Busch, of course, had been parked by NASCAR for the Nationwide and Cup events at Texas Motor Speedway after intentionally wrecking truck series championship contender Ron Hornaday Jr. under caution during Friday night's race.

Although McDowell finished in 33rd place, three laps off the lead, the No. 18 car looked as good as new when the race was over and the other two JGR cars had struggled during the race as well.

Looking to the future, McDowell's expectation for 2012 in the Cup series is "to race the 66; we're definitely racing the first five events. We'll try to get ourselves locked in the top 35 and take it from there, and try to build it into something that we can race every weekend," said the 2007 ARCA Series Rookie of the Year.

"This year we’ve been gearing toward that, been buying good cars and running really well. We’re moving in the right direction and hopefully we’ll be able to get locked in and start off the year by making Daytona."

At his core, McDowell is just an ordinary guy, and he's certainly not living the glamorous lifestyle of a Tony Stewart or a Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"I’m 26 years old, I’ve been married for six years now and have almost a three-year-old son. I’m the oldest 26-year-old I think, at least that I know. This sport makes you grow up fast."

Luke Krmpotich is a Featured Columnist with Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first-hand.

The arrogance and over-inflated ego of Kyle Busch caused him to sit out two races at Texas Motor Speedway, but more punishment may indeed be in store for him by Joe Gibbs.

Busch was seventh in the point standings for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Michael McDowell was the man behind the wheel in the No. 18 M&M's Toyota in the AAA Texas 500.

Joe Gibbs knew immediately after watching the incident between Busch and Ron Hornaday during the NASCAR Camping World Truck race that he had to rush to Texas for damage control.

What happened between the No. 33 truck and Busch in the No. 18 truck was obviously going to explode into something much bigger than the driver for Joe Gibbs Racing being ordered to park the truck.

It was immediately announced that Busch and his crew chief were to report to the NASCAR trailer after the race.

The next meeting took place in the NASCAR trailer Saturday morning with Gibbs, J.D. Gibbs, Busch and others.

It was after that brief get together that the word came from NASCAR that Busch would not race in the Nationwide or Cup race under NASCAR rule 9-12.

Busch issued an apology, which may be too little, too late. Sure, he is sorry about what he did, but only because his ego was bruised from the hard NASCAR slap.

The punishment is hardly over for the driver of the No. 18 Toyota. NASCAR will once again meet early next week to determine what, if any, further action may be assessed against Busch.

This is a driver who has continued to push his luck with assorted antics that test the patience and policies of NASCAR, including giving the finger to an official at Texas Motor Speedway.

Now the pressure is on the boss at Joe Gibbs Racing. Gibbs took responsibility for Busch and his actions, though he hardly had control over the driver and his egregious behavior.

The Mars company, makers of M&M's candy, has very high expectations for the driver behind the wheel of the car they sponsor, with huge sums of money going to Joe Gibbs Racing.

Certainly, they get their money's worth when it comes to the talent Busch has behind the wheel of his Cup car. If only his behavior and attitude equated to his ability. The fact is, they do not.

Joe Gibbs Racing, his team and his fans were all disrespected by the actions of Busch, even though he was driving a truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports when the incident took place.

His continued poor judgment on the race tracks and off the race track reflect not only on his team owner but the sponsor as well.

Prior to the Cup race at Texas, M&M's issued a statement on Facebook that read as follows:

"The recent actions by Kyle Busch are not consistent with the values of M&M's and we're very disappointed. Like you, we hold those who represent our sport to a higher standard and we have expressed our concerns to Joe Gibbs Racing."

It is sad that a young man with such natural talent as a race car driver should have to sink to this current level. His way back to grace is going to be a tough road.

NASCAR may or may not allow Busch to race the last two races of the season, but the pressure from M&M's on Gibbs may force the release of the driver from JGR.

Gibbs is in a corner, and if he keeps Busch, Mars will likely pull their sponsorship. Should Busch be released, it will be from the second major NASCAR team. Hendrick Motorsports was the first to release him.

NASCAR wants to see the drivers show personality, as do fans. The JGR driver is just so driven to win that he crosses the line of reasonable behavior.

Busch has so much potential, but his maturity level and lack of respect have sadly cost him dearly in many ways.

This saga has yet to play out, and it will play out relatively quickly. Joe Gibbs Racing may not be able to take one for the driver of the No. 18.

This would have been a much more difficult argument just before the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup began in Chicago. Now, three races in with seven to go, Denny Hamlin has driven the No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry completely out of contention.

Hamlin made a promising recovery during the last regular season race at Richmond. After qualifying 28th, he managed to solidify his spot in the Chase with a clutch top-10 finish.

Unfortunately for him and Joe Gibbs Racing, every effort thereafter has kept him in last place of all 12 Chase contenders.

The numbers do not lie: at Chicago, New Hampshire and Dover he has qualified, respectively, 27th, 28th and 11th. This has translated into finishes of 31st, 29th and 18th, respectively.

In parallel to his backslide from the qualifying results to his finishes, he has fallen further behind the Chase leaders in each successive week.

Hamlin is in last place by a wide margin. Never mind that he is 68 points from the top;  he is 27 points behind 11th place driver Ryan Newman and 49 points from Jeff Gordon in ninth place.

Put another way, even if he were to win the fourth Chase race at Kansas with the most laps led and receive the full points bonus, he will still be in 10th place in the Chase should Jeff Gordon improbably finish dead last in 43rd place.

Those are dire straits. 

It is at least somewhat ironic. Conventional wisdom gave him a fighting chance at the Chase's outset.  There were only three contenders who most analysts and experts were ruling out even before it began: Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

Newman and Earnhardt Jr. have performed as expected. Stewart has blown expectations and opinions out of the water after winning the first two Chase races. Hamlin is really the big surprise, negatively speaking.

Finally, the broadcasters calling the race for ESPN at Dover noted that he has been seeing a sports psychologist to help him cope with the disappointment of losing the Cup in the last race of last year.

That is not an insignificant thing, if true. After all, we are very nearly one year removed from that.  He needs to either shorten his memory or reflect on failure only in the offseason.

However, it could help better explain why he has gone from a season in 2010 where "all we do is win" to a 2011 where he did very little of that.

While Denny Hamlin is not mathematically eliminated from this year's Cup, his chances of winning are infinitesimal and not legitimate.

At this stage, the more interesting question to ask is this: Is Denny Hamlin a legitimate candidate to break the top 10 in the final Chase standings?

Kyle Busch is a man in transition, maturing before our eyes.  While he still has a few qualities that make him NASCAR's most notorious heel, he is in the the process of becoming a more lovable driver than in the past.

Do not expect him to smash any more guitars as he did in Nashville in 2009 as a victory celebration.  Additionally, do not hold your breath for him to make any more comments about the Car of Tomorrow and how much  it "sucks."

That is the Kyle Busch of last decade.  Today, he is more apt to shake the President's hand and say "thank you."

This is not to say that "Rowdy" will become a dull corporate sponsor drone for Joe Gibbs Racing—far from it.  He is undergoing a metamorphosis; a maturation process.  He has not completely shed his skin...yet.

Through his continued winning and his more somber demeanor he has, in essence, become more lovable.  However, he can never possibly rid himself of the wake his past reputation has left.  It is doubtful whether fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr. will ever forgive him for the wreck he caused Junior at Richmond in 2008.

His detractors cheered louder at the Coca Cola 600 in Charlotte this year when he crashed and finished 60 laps short than they did for the eventual winner, Kevin Harvick.

Speaking of Kevin Harvick, this is an ongoing feud that Kyle Busch was initially willing to continue until his conscience, maturity, sponsors—whatever it was—grabbed a hold of him.

After taming the "Lady in Black,"  in Darlington, SC, Kevin Harvick jumped out of his car to let Kyle Busch know that he was not happy with him.  For whatever reason, he forgot to put his car in park. Naturally, Rowdy bumped the car and pushed it into a wall.

This led to the NASCAR version of a restraining order against the two.  Kevin Harvick came dangerously close to breaking this order later in the year at Pocono by bumping him, yet Busch offered no repercussion.  This was a public display of his maturation.

Later in the year, Kyle Busch lost his driver's license for driving 145 mph on the North Carolina back roads.  He still has some of the old Kyle in him, now with the absence of the of whining child prone to temper tantrums.

Kyle Busch will never be universally loved, but that works in his favor.  He attracts the type of fan that loves to root against him as much, if not more, than his or her own driver.  He is the prototypical lovable jerk, and it has carried him to success at every level of NASCAR.

If he continues this path, he will be one of the most lovable jerks enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Disappointment rained down on some drivers who thought it was their day to win on the two-mile oval at Michigan while one driver found the taste of victory oh so sweet.

Ford was expected to be strong and Greg Biffle led most of the first half of the Pure Michigan 400 while Carl Edwards had engine problems that took him to the garage early in the race.

Edwards made it back on track, but his day was pretty much over as his car was down 28 laps. With five laps to go he was unable to improve his 36th place position and headed for the garage.

Denny Hamlin is a proven winner at Michigan and expected his new JGR/TRD engine would help him score his second win of the season. Hamlin was unofficially 35th at the end of the race.

Hamlin was running 19th with 78 laps to go when he hit the wall and headed for the garage. The driver of the No. 11 Fed Ex Toyota made it back on the track but he was 15 laps down.

Hamlin was 12th in the point standings heading to Michigan, but his streak of bad runs continued with only one top-10 finish since his Michigan win on June 19.

Brad Keselowski continued to show Penske horsepower with his run in the top-five all day behind the wheel of the Blue Deuce. He raced brace free as he continues to heal his broken ankle. His third place finish took him to 12th in points.

Kyle Busch had a very fast and consistent No. 18 M&Ms Toyota as he battled for the lead during most of the race. With 12 laps to go he took the lead over Jimmie Johnson, who has never won at Michigan.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. badly needs a win, but his streak of winless races reached 116. Junior qualified pretty well and had a top-10 car that kept him in Chase contention. On the final caution he chose to take tires which dropped him to a 14th place finish, but he remains ninth in points.

With four laps to go Kurt Busch hit the wall for the second time while running 12th and looked to have heavy damage which brought out a caution.

The inevitable green-white-checker finish came to play and some 27 drivers were on the lead lap. A variety of strategies played out with some staying out, others going for two tires.

Marcos Ambrose, the winner at Watkins Glen last week, slid into his pit stall with the nose of his car planted hard against the pit wall.

The race restarted and Busch pulled away from Johnson to win his fourth race of the season as Johnson followed him across the finish line.

Drama continues as Tony Stewart still remains winless. He finished ninth in the Pure Michigan 400 and showed obvious disappointment after the race though he stayed 10th in points.

Strong runs, wins and great pit stops give the driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 a big advantage and he looks to be the real deal when it comes to challenging five-time reigning Cup champ, Johnson.

He told the ESPN pit reporter, "Great to be in Victory Lane and we clinched our place in the Chase."

Frustrated with the engine woes that have been plaguing Joe Gibbs Racing drivers for the last couple of seasons, Gibbs has announced that his race team will be entering an engine partnership with Toyota Racing Development.

The partnership ought to help JGR end its problems with engine failures, which have been an Achilles heel for the talented Gibbs drivers.

"We felt it was much easier to combine our resources and go down one path instead of trying to do two paths together," Gibbs said.

Until now, Joe Gibbs Racing has been producing its own engines even after switching from Chevrolet to Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series in 2008.

JGR drivers have been suffering from a rash of engine woes in 2011. The latest problem came at the Brickyard 400 when an engine failure took Denny Hamlin out of the race. All in all, JGR drivers have undergone a total of nine engine failures this season.

The engines produced by the new partnership of JGR with TRD will be used for both the Gibbs teams as well as other Sprint Cup Toyota teams.

According to the terms of the partnership, JGR and Michael Waltrip Racing will have the same engines beginning in 2012. In addition, Red Bull could use those engines if whoever buys the team from the Red Bull ownership group decides to race Toyotas.

Joey Logano has won the pole for Sunday's Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway with a lap of 52.31 seconds at 172.055 mph. Logano was the only driver faster than 172 mph during qualifying.

Kasey Kahne was second, 0.12 seconds slower than Logano. Martin Truex Jr. was third at 52.48 seconds, Carl Edwards took fourth at 52.49 and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five with a lap of 52.49 seconds.

Logano scored his second pole of the 2011 season and the third of his career. He will be going for his first career top-10 at Pocono. His best finish in five previous starts at the track is an 11th two months ago. Three of his other finishes have been 23rd or worse.

Logano comes into Pocono with the momentum of three top-6 finishes in his last five starts, although he struggled a bit last week at Indianapolis en route to a 25th-place finish. He has led just 12 laps all season and will be looking to add to that total.

Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin was slow in practice but qualified a strong sixth. A four-time Pocono winner, Hamlin figures to be a threat to win the race on Sunday. Hamlin finished 19th at Pocono earlier this year but led a race-high 76 laps.

Paul Menard qualified seventh, Jeff Burton was eighth-fastest, Greg Biffle ninth and Kevin Harvick filled out the top ten on the grid.

June Pocono winner Jeff Gordon struggled to find speed in practice and it showed during qualifying, as Gordon posted just the 31st quickest time around the quirky triangular 2.5-mile track.

The three drivers with the best average finishes for the past five Pocono races all qualified relatively poorly. Tony Stewart (7.4 average finish with one win) was a lowly 28th, Jimmie Johnson (7.8 average) qualified 18th and Juan Pablo Montoya (8.2 average) will roll off 23rd.