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Richard Childress Racing announces Jim Pohlman as crew chief for Kyle Busch in 2026

JHby: Jonathan Howard10/16/25Jondean25
Kyle Busch
Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The decision has been made! Richard Childress Racing has found a new crew chief for Kyle Busch in the 2026 NASCAR season. Jim Pohlman is moving up from the Xfinity Series and JR Motorsports to take on the Cup Series alongside Rowdy.

Jim Pohlman is currently in the hunt for another Xfinity Series championship with Justin Allgaier. Looking at who is available out there and given the contract/performance situation for Kyle Busch, this is a good signing for RCR.

In the 2022 season, Pohlman was the crew chief for Austin Dillon and Austin Hill for one race each in the Cup Series. So, the relationship at RCR was already there. In 2011, Pohlman was Juan Pablo Montoya’s crew chief for 17 races, resulting in two top-10 finishes.

Nine wins and counting with Justin Allgaier in the last three seasons, Pohlman knows how to get he job done. Can he step up and save Kyle Busch and the 8 team next season?

No one is in the dark about Kyle Busch and RCR’s struggles. Is Jim Pohlman the answer? That remains to be seen. Clearly, something had to change with the 8 team. Randall Burnett is headed to Trackhouse to work with Connor Zilisch next year. Pohlman is going from JR Motorsports to RCR. Who ends up winning this game of crew chief roulette?

Kyle Busch gets P8 finish at Las Vegas

After the decision was made to move Randall Burnett off of the pit box for the 8 team to close out the season, it was Andy Street who was put in charge of the team. In Las Vegas, they showed some speed.

Things looked like they were going the usual way – slow and terrible. But this 8 team responded all day long at Vegas and got the car moving the right direction. In the end, they earned a P8 finish. It was the first top-10 for the team since Darlington. It is only the second top-10 on an oval for Busch since his P8 at Michigan.

Kyle Busch needs anything to go right for him at this point. Ending this season strong and getting Jim Pohlman up to speed between November and February will be so important. The future of Busch at RCR is at stake. Can Busch and RCR find that winning speed they had in 2023?

While RCR has had issues, Austin Dillon has won two races. So, there is something there at Welcome, NC, that is working. However, it hasn’t been working for Busch in the last two seasons.