Kyle Busch's new address isn't completely official, but an announcement of his new deal with Joe Gibbs Racing should be forthcoming.
Several sources close to the situation have confirmed what was broken earlier this week by the Sirius Speedway radio program and Busch will take over the JGR No. 18 Interstate Batteries ride next year.
That move will once again set off a domino effect around the NEXTEL Cup garage area with more puzzle pieces expected to fall into place in the coming weeks.
Among the moves being rumored and speculated:
Gibbs is expected to transform from a Chevrolet team to a Toyota squad for 2008. With the Red Bull Racing/Toyota split imminent, the manufacturer will pick up JGR to replace the two cars at Red Bull, which is expected to become part of the Chevy stable.
Toyota is expected to pair down Michael Waltrip racing from a three-car effort to a two-car squad, shifting some of that support to JGR's three-car team of Busch, Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. Dale Jarrett is said to be seriously considering retirement, trading in his helmet for a microphone as a television analyst, which would leave MWR with Waltrip and David Reutimann.
There has been talk that UPS, unhappy with the lack of exposure the company has received this year from Jarrett's struggles to make races, is looking at other teams for 2008 sponsorship with Roush Fenway Racing a target, possibly for Greg Biffle's No. 16 entry.
The biggest sponsorship question still swirls around Dale Earnhardt Jr. and despite a report last week that the National Guard was looking to become Junior's full-time sponsor at Hendrick next year, shifting off of Casey Mears' No. 25 ride, Pepsi products led by the Mountain Dew brand is still the leading contender.
Kasey Kahne is all but set to be the new "Bud Man" on the NEXTEL Cup Series with that lucrative sponsorship expected to shift to Evernham Motorsports' No. 9 car.
The two biggest open seats now are the DEI No. 8 and the fourth Richard Childress Racing entry. It now appears David Stremme, or Yeley, is in the mix for the DEI stable while RCR likes what Scott Wimmer did at Indianapolis a few weeks ago and may elevate him to the full-time slot if sponsorship can be locked in for the fourth team.
