RCR makes another crew chief change for Kyle Busch, effective immediately

Ten races into the 2026 NASCAR Cup season, Richard Childress Racing has just one top ten finish as an organization — a tenth by Kyle Busch this past weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

Jim Pohlman, who left behind a successful career as crew chief for Justin Allgaier in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series to take over crew chief duties for Busch, is now being moved off the pit box. Pohlman, who won the 2024 O’Reilly title with Allgaier at JR Motorsports, will remain with RCR and transition into a leadership role within the competition department.

Busch currently sits 27th in points, and the one bright spot for the Pohlman/Busch duo was earning pole position for the Daytona 500.

Kyle Busch and Richard Childress after winning pole for 2026 Daytona 500

Andy Street, who worked with Busch in the final few races of the 2025 season after former RCR crew chief Randall Burnett left the team, will move back into that role.

Street has been with Childress for two decades, and most recently worked as the team’s Performance Director. He was also as a crew chief in 167 NASCAR O’Reilly races in the past. He won eleven races atop the pit box, and led Austin Hill to the Championship 4 in 2024. He also helped Myatt Snider to his one and only win as a NOAPS driver.

In the final five races of the 2025 Cup season with Street atop the pit box, Busch finished 34th (crash), 8th, 19th, 13th, and 5th in the season finale.

“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.”

Added Mike Verlander, President of RCR: “We strongly believe in the people we have. “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.”