Richard Childress Racing named a new crew chief Monday for Kyle Busch, ending the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s tenure with Jim Pohlman only 10 races into their partnership.
Andy Street will take over crew chief responsibilities for the No. 8 Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2026 season, with Pohlman transitioning into a leadership role in RCR’s competition department.
“This move is about putting our people in the best position to succeed,” RCR chairman and CEO Richard Childress said. “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.”
Busch, 40, is coming off a 10th-place finish Sunday at Talladega. It was his first top-10 showing of the season. After winning at least one Cup Series race in a record 19 consecutive seasons from 2005-23, Busch has not visited Victory Lane since June 2023.
Busch, who won the season-long driver’s championships in 2015 and 2019, currently ranks 27th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. His 63 wins in NASCAR’s top circuit rank ninth all-time and are two ahead of Denny Hamlin for the most among active drivers.
Street has more than 20 years of experience in multiple roles at RCR, including serving as the company’s performance director in 2026. Street worked with Busch at the end of last year after former crew chief Randall Burnett moved to Trackhouse Racing.
“We strongly believe in the people we have,” RCR president Mike Verlander 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.”
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway next Sunday in Fort Worth, where Busch won four times while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
–Field Level Media
