Mars has pulled its M&M's backing from Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for the final two races of the year in response to the 26-year-old deliberately crashing into Ron Hornaday under caution in last weekend's Truck series race.
Team boss Joe Gibbs said: "We strongly support Mars's decision. This gives us all time to work together to foster a positive change where Kyle can continue racing in a way we can all be proud of."
Mars confirmed that is still committed to NASCAR, and plans to return to the Sprint Cup arena with Busch in 2012. But it hopes that its decision to withdraw its support in the wake of last weekend's incident will make a point to the driver.
"Kyle's recent actions are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of Mars," said Debra A Sandler, chief consumer officer for Mars Chocolate North America.
"While we do not condone Kyle's recent actions, we do believe that he has shown remorse and has expressed a desire to change.
"We believe our decision will have a positive impact on Kyle and will help him return next season ready to win."
