Why does Kyle Busch view Jason Ratcliff as one of the best crew chiefs of his career

Kyle Busch has credited Jason Ratcliff as one of his favorite crew chiefs. He has worked and succeeded with other crew chiefs, but the "mutual respect" with Ratcliff and his technical expertise make him one of the best for Busch.

In the Cup Series, Busch won 17 percent of the races with Steve Addington in the early Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) seasons. Adam Stevens was later paired with the then-No. 18 Toyota driver, and the duo went on to earn two Cup championships.

However, before success in the Cup Series, Busch started by breaking records in the Xfinity Series. He ran the full Xfinity schedule with Ratcliff and the No. 18 team in 2009.

"I love Jason," Kyle Busch told NASCAR.com.

Busch and Ratcliff won nine races and led a huge share of laps on their way to the title during their first year. The next season raised the bar again. Busch and Ratcliff chased a long-standing record and then reset it. They won 13 races in 2010.

"I think the thing with Jason was the mutual respect for one another. I got to work with him at JGR and could understand why this guy is as good as he is. He is one of my favorite crew chiefs that I've had over the years," he added.

Ratcliff had worked at JGR for four years before he was paired with Busch. And the 57-year-old still works as a crew chief for Xfinity Series' rookie Taylor Gray's No. 54 team. He announced his retirement after 24 seasons and 72 NASCAR wins in 2023, but returned after a crew chief change at JGR earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Busch, who left JGR after 2022, has been struggling to win Cup races.

Kyle Busch to get new crew chief for 2026 after more than 2 years of being winless

Kyle Busch's Cup career has gone downhill since leaving Joe Gibbs Racing. The 40-year-old is in the middle of his longest winless stretch (87 races) of his 21-year Cup career. After an end to his 19-year streak of annual victories in 2024, he saw similar challenges this season and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Now, Busch is set to pair with a new crew chief for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series season.

The Richard Childress Racing No. 8 Chevy driver's current crew chief, Randall Burnett, will leave RCR at the end of the 2025 season and join Trackhouse Racing. There, Burnett will join their team as the crew chief for 19-year-old Connor Zilisch's debut season.

RCR has not yet announced a replacement for Burnett, which leaves Kyle Busch's crew chief situation for 2026 uncertain.