J.D. Gibbs denies rumors of Kurt Busch joining Joe Gibbs Racing

With this week’s one-event suspension of the volatile Kurt Busch, and the uncertainty surrounding his future in the #51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet, tongues are wagging about the next potential employer for the 24-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner.

Prognosticators have Joe Gibbs Racing on the pole for the Kurt Busch derby, but in appearing this week on SIRIUS/XM NASCAR Radio's ‘The Morning Drive’, JGR President J.D. Gibbs denies any movement toward hiring Busch.

Kurt Busch

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“No, this time of year, you'll hear all sorts of interesting thoughts,” Gibbs said of the Busch rumor. “That's one that's not on our radar right now, and I think you'll probably hear a lot of this as the year goes on, it's just the tendency and the nature of the sport, but no truth to that one as of now.”

The 33-year-old Busch has been quick at a number of times in the Phoenix Racing #51 in 2012, but team owner James Finch claims that Busch has wrecked 14 cars this year, which is putting a burden on the team’s finances.

Busch’s suspension this week was the culmination of a year’s worth of angst against fellow drivers, teams and now the media. Busch was benched for this weekend’s race by NASCAR for an angry tirade against a media member last week, a move that Gibbs figures will lessen the demand for the meteoric driver.

“I think it would make it a little harder just from the sponsor standpoint and getting the right partner to kind of fit in there,” Gibbs said of a potential Bush signing. “At the same time, I think the world of Kurt. He's a great competitor, and he has a gift so hopefully he'll be able to continue that and have a great future.”