“Without them, this opportunity doesn’t exist”: Kyle Busch’s future crew chief credits Justin Allgiaer and JRM’s involvement in his RCR deal

Recently, Richard Childress Racing decided to change Kyle Busch’s crew chief for the next season. NASCAR Xfinity Series crew chief Jim Pohlman will replace Randall Burnett in the 2026 Cup Series season.

Pohlman was featured in an interview with NASCAR following the major announcement. During which the crew chief opened up about JRM and Justin Allgaier’s role in advancing to the Cup Series.

Jim Pohlman managed multiple roles at Richard Childress Racing in the 2022 season. Later he moved to JRM and became the crew chief of the #7 Chevy driven by Justin Allgaier. Allgaier and Pohlman had a successful partnership and even won the 2024 Xfinity Series championship. Reflecting on his experience with JRM, Kyle Busch’s new crew chief told the press:

“Justin is the guy that put me on the map. Without JRM, this opportunity doesn’t exist. It’s very hard to leave Justin; he’s a great friend and has been a friend for a long time. We’ve won an ARCA championship, we’ve won an Xfinity championship – hopefully, we’re going to win two. To walk away from the possibility of winning three in a row was very heavy on my mind.”

Further, Jim Pohlman shared his goal of winning the Daytona 500 and added:

“The goal for me has always been to race on Sunday and make it to that level and have an opportunity to win Daytona 500s and win at the highest level. It’s a great opportunity, and I’m certainly looking forward to it.”

Kyle Busch has been struggling since the sophomore season with Richard Childress Racing. He has been on a winless streak since 2024 and has missed the playoffs twice. Additionally, he has yet to land a win after 33 races this season.

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"We are not in the exact spot we would like to be": Randall Burnett on Kyle Busch’s milestone start

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch is currently in his third season with Richard Childress Racing. The Gateway race marked Busch’s 100th start with the team, marking a milestone event. However, the feat gathered scrutiny from the fans instead of celebratory gestures.

The #8 Chevy driver has been under a lot of pressure since last season, after he was unable to secure a win for the team. He broke his year-long record of securing at least one win each season, along with his record of securing a spot in the playoffs.

Kyle Busch’s performance hasn’t improved this season, either. Reflecting on the same, Randall Burnett stated:

"Well, obviously, we are not in the exact spot we would like to be. We have had some decent speed at a lot of tracks, and through various things, have taken ourselves out of it or gotten taken out of some good finishes. There have been some tracks where we have been absolutely terrible at." (via the NASCAR Live podcast)

Kyle Busch currently ranks 22nd in the Cup Series points table with 663 points to his credit. He has secured nine top tens and two top fives in 33 starts this season.