Dale Jr. Sees Spire Motorsports as Possible Future Fit for Kyle Busch

Dale Earnhardt Jr. just fueled NASCAR’s ‘silly season’ with a bold prediction for Kyle Busch. While the former champion navigates a contract year, Junior sees a surprising team as the key to returning Busch to the front of the field.

“My guess, if I had to predict… Kyle Busch ends up getting an opportunity that gets him back toward the front of the field… I just got a weird feeling he’s going to end up at Spire for some reason,” he said.

There’s some merit to this argument. Busch is already slated to race in eight Truck races for Spire this season, with Hendrick Motorsports as the primary partner. And that’s why Junior believes them to be the destination.

“He’s driven there, he’s won there, he’s won in their trucks and stuff.”

Busch’s success within Spire’s Truck program makes a Cup Series move logical. After going on a 102-race winless streak with Richard Childress Racing, a switch might just be on the cards.

“He’s not going to drive cars that are underperforming for the rest of his career. He’s going to find his way back toward the front, he’s going to have a couple moments of, ‘All right, I still can do this,’ proving it to himself and the rest of the world that he’s as good as he’s always been.”

However, all three Spire drivers (Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell, and Daniel Suarez) have contracts running beyond 2026.

A Wide Open Driver Market For 2027

NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass previously highlighted a potentially massive 2027 driver market switch. And the 2027 season looks way more crowded.

Surveys with agents showed that over 20 drivers didn’t have a signed deal yet for next year.

While guys like Kyle Larson are definitely staying put, plenty of other big names have questions hanging over them. Playoff regulars like Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, and Austin Cindric were on the list of uncertain futures, right along with Kyle Busch.

As of now, Joe Gibbs Racing and Trackhouse are about the only teams that look stable. With this many contracts potentially up for grabs at once, the next silly season is going to be a wild one.