NASCAR fans will be able to see one of the sport’s most recognizable paint schemes return to the track, as M&M’s will make a one-race comeback with Ty Gibbs at Bristol Motor Speedway in a tribute to Kyle Busch.
The No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will have the familiar bright yellow colors at the Bristol Night Race on September 19, but this version will be far more personal.
Beneath the iconic M&M’s branding, the car will feature a mosaic of photographs from Busch’s career.
The return was announced Thursday, with Joe Gibbs Racing stating that the Bristol tribute would be “amazing to see on track,” particularly because the design incorporates images from Busch’s career. Busch built one of the strongest records of any driver at the Tennessee short track.
He won eight Cup Series races at Bristol, along with nine victories in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and five in the Craftsman Truck Series.
He also swept all three NASCAR national-series races during a Bristol weekend twice, accomplishing the feat in 2010 and 2017. That made the track one of the most renowned venues of his career and the obvious place for bringing the M&M’s colors back.
The Tribute to Kyle Busch is much more than just a paint scheme
Samantha Busch, wife of late Kyle Busch, was involved in planning the special scheme and acknowledged the difficulty of seeing the car return without her husband behind the wheel.
“Going back without him will be heartbreaking,” Samantha wrote. “He should be there. But I’m so grateful to be able to tell you that those iconic M&M’S colors will be coming back to Bristol, one last time, on the 54 car.”
She said that the tribute will allow the NASCAR community to remember Busch at the same track where some of his most memorable moments came through.
“It’s a chance to honor him at a place he loved so much, surrounded by our NASCAR family and the fans who loved him too,” Samantha added. “I know Kyle would want us to be there, to keep showing up, keep racing, and keep carrying his legacy forward.”
View this post on Instagram
The partnership between Kyle Busch and M&M’s stretched across 15 seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing, beginning when he first joined the organization in 2008. Mars’ sponsorship became inseparable from Busch’s identity, with the yellow No. 18 Toyota becoming one of NASCAR’s most recognizable cars.
Busch collected 56 of his 63 Cup Series wins with JGR and won championships in 2015 and 2019 before moving to Richard Childress Racing after the 2022 season, when Mars also ended its NASCAR sponsorship.
But now, the same colors will appear once again on the No. 54 driven by Ty Gibbs, the driver who took over Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing seat.
Gibbs has already turned 2026 into his strongest Cup season, winning at Bristol earlier in the year before adding another one at Iowa last weekend. In fact, those results have helped push him to P2 in the championship standings.
Gibbs has also spoken openly about Busch’s influence on his development. He recalled growing up around the veteran driver and traveling with him to races, calling Busch supportive when he was young.
The September 19 Bristol Night Race will therefore bring together several threads of Busch’s NASCAR legacy, from the M&M’s colors that became synonymous with him, the track where he achieved extraordinary success, to the JGR No. 54 now driven by a young racer he personally influenced.