FORT WORTH, Texas – Kyle Busch has eyed Greg Biffle as a potential driver for his Kyle Busch Motorsports organization for years.
When Biffle stepped away from a full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ride in 2016, Busch approached his longtime friend with an idea: a full-time ride in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series.
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“I asked him, ‘Hey, if we could put something together for a full-time Truck gig, would you do it?’ And he was like, ‘I’m going to step away for a bit, I don’t think I’m ready for that yet,’ ” Busch told NASCAR.com on Friday. “(A) couple years have gone by and now he’s asking me, ‘Can I run a Truck race or something like that, do you have anything available for me?’
“He wanted to run Las Vegas in the spring and I’m like, ‘Man, I already got that one, I’m running that triple, but I do have a race available for you.’ “
The available race ended up being Texas Motor Speedway’s June 7 event, which Biffle announced via Twitter on March 27 that he would pilot the KBM truck for a one-off run. The 49-year-old driver also practiced in Busch’s No. 51 Toyota in Friday’s Gander Trucks practice in the Lone Star State.
According to Busch, though, Texas’ warm, late-spring event wasn’t Biffle’s first choice.
“He’s like, ‘Texas in June? Ah, that’s going to be hot. I don’t know if I want to do that,’ ” Busch said with a smile. “I’m like, ‘Don’t be a pansy, come on, get it.’ “
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While Busch would love to have his friend run for Kyle Busch Motorsports in a larger capacity, he doesn’t envision Biffle going down that path.
“I don’t necessarily think of him and I don’t know that he really wants to do what the (Ron) Hornaday-type thing was or the (Mike) Skinner-type thing was, which they went back to the (Gander Outdoors) Truck Series, ran the Truck Series races before they were done and kind of walked away from NASCAR entirely,” Busch said.
“If that’s what he wants to do, I’d be happy to have him in our fold at Kyle Busch Motorsports and that’d be a fun gig to have.”