(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)
Kyle Busch has shut down one of his financially strapped Camping World Truck teams, the KBM #56 Toyota Tundra. That truck was piloted by Taylor Malsam, who this week took up an offer to drive the #10 Braun Racing Toyota in the Nationwide Series.
Taylor will begin driving that car for Bruan Racing Saturday in Nashville. Malsam is the second of Busch’s two drivers to leave Kyle Busch Motorsports in the last two weeks! Brian Ickler left KBM for the opportunity to drive in the Nationwide Series for Roush-Fenway in the #16 Con-Way Freight Ford.
Shutting down the No. 56 team will lessen the financial load for Sprint Cup star Busch, whose foray into ownership this year has been plagued by sponsorship woes. He acknowledged last month that he was funding the two teams mostly out of his own pocket.
KBM will continue to field the # 18 truck, which is tops in the owners’ standings. Busch will drive it in some races. The rest of the driver schedule is still being determined after Ickler’s departure.
Veteran Johnny Benson will drive the truck Friday at Texas with Busch at Pocono Raceway for the Sprint Cup race.
The 21-year-old Malsam finished no better than 13th in seven Truck Series races this year and was 11th in the points standings. Malsam will replace Jason Leffler in the No. 10 Nationwide car, while Leffler returns to Braun’s No. 38.
Is this a sign that Kyle Busch Motorsports is falling upon some tough financial times? There is still some litigation that KBM is facing concerning construction of his race shop.
What do think KBM’s future is?
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
