Kyle Busch Gets New Chief After Slow 2026 Start

Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, will have yet another new chief.

The driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet has not won a Cup race since a dominant win at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in June 2023, marking the longest winless streak of his historic career.

Now, after Richard Childress Racing signed O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship-winning crew chief Jim Pohlman to lead the No. 8 team, Busch is off to the slowest start of his NASCAR career. Through nine races, Busch has only one top-10 finish, which he scored this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, a race won by Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar.

Busch’s 22.1 average finish is by far the worst of his career, and he sits 27th in the standings. Busch finished 20th and 21st in the standings in each of the last two seasons, respectively, both career-lows.

Kyle Busch’s New Crew Chief

Richard Childress Racing announced on Monday that Andy Street will rejoin the top of the pit box for the No. 8 team, effective immediately.

Street replaced a departing Randall Burnett with six races left in the 2025 season. Burnett opted to leave Richard Childress Racing for Trackhouse Racing to work with rookie sensation Connor Zilisch.

“This move is about putting our people in the best position to succeed,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of RCR. “We have strong talent across this organization, and we’re focused on having each person in the right position to help deliver the results we expect.”

Pohlman will remain with Richard Childress Racing, as he will now transition into a leadership role within RCR’s competition department.

When Street worked with Busch at the end of the 2025 season, there was a signficant increase in Busch’s on-track performance. He earned a top five in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway with Street at the helm.

“We strongly believe in the people we have,” Mike Verlander, president of Richard Childress Racing, said. “At the same time, we expect better results, and that requires us to continually evaluate and make adjustments. Jim has more than two decades of success in this sport and will remain an important part of our team. We believe Andy and Kyle’s previous working relationship positions us to improve the No. 8 team and compete at a higher level.”

Street also guided Austin Hill to 10 O’Reilly victories.

Kyle Busch’s NASCAR Future

Busch is in a contract year with Richard Childress Racing. While it is possible he could re-sign with the organization that he initially joined in 2021, it is looking less likely with the lapse in performance.

Busch already has a working relationship with Spire Motorsports after he sold Kyle Busch Motorsports to the organization. Additionally, he continues to compete in Craftsman Truck Series races for the team.

However, Spire, a three-car team, has Hocevar under a long-term deal, with Michael McDowell and Daniel Suarez under contract. Neither of their contract lengths have been released, but Spire would have to likely let one of those drivers go to sign Busch.

Busch may have other options, with Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman in a contract year and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney.

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