Mars Inc. announced Thursday night that it will not sponsor its longtime driver Kyle Busch in the final two races of the 2011 season because of his actions at Texas Motor Speedway.

Busch intentionally wrecked Ron Hornaday during a Truck Series race under caution and was parked by NASCAR for the entire weekend.

Busch has driven the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing with sponsorship from Mars' M&Ms brand of candy.

But the No. 18 will be sponsored this weekend's Sprint Cup race at Phoenix and for the season finale at Homestead by longtime Gibbs partner Interstate Batteries.

"We strongly support Mars' decision," said team owner Joe Gibbs. "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 said it would return in 2012 to sponsor Busch with the expectation that there will be no similar incidents in the future.

"As a proud member of the racing community, Mars and the M&M'S brand strongly support the partnership we have with Joe Gibbs Racing and are committed to NASCAR. Yet, Kyle's recent actions are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of Mars," said Debra A. Sandler, Chief Consumer Officer, 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."