Gibbs Adding Bush To His Stable Of Drivers

Tuesday, August 14th 2007, 2:21 pm

By: News On 6

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Kyle Busch has signed on with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2008 Nextel Cup campaign. That gives the team a powerful three-car punch that should keep it on pace with Hendrick Motorsports.

Busch has spent the past three seasons at Hendrick, but was dropped in June when the team made room for Dale Earnhardt Junior. That put the 22-year-old driver on the free agent market, and he had no shortage of suitors in a busy 10-week negotiating period.

After a failed bid to land Earnhardt, Gibbs turned to Busch, who will team with two-time series champion Tony Stewart and 2007 title contender Denny Hamlin.

It creates a lineup of three solid championship contenders for a team that has won three of the last seven Nextel Cup titles. But it also gives JGR three strong-willed individuals who subscribe to winning at all costs, and believe there's no such thing as friends
on the race track. All three have tangled with others on the track, including Stewart and Busch last season, and even Stewart with teammate Hamlin this year.

Busch will replace J.J. Yeley in the number-18 car beginning next season. Yeley was in the final year of his contract.