New Richard Childress Racing chief gives honest – Sports News
Jim Pohlman returns to the highlight in NASCAR, and he’s bringing a brutally honest tackle what it can take to get Kyle Busch back to Victory Lane.
The veteran crew chief has formally signed with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and can lead Busch’s No. 8 Cup car starting within the 2026 NASCAR season, changing the now-departed Randall Burnett, a resolution that Denny Hamlin made his emotions clear on.
In an interview with Racer, Pohlman didn’t sugarcoat the highway forward. “We’re probably a lot alike,” he stated of himself and Busch. “I haven’t seen his analytical chart … but having done the crew-chief role and reading people, I would say we’re probably identical. There might be some spats, I’m not going to lie.”
He added, “He’s passionate. I’m passionate. The end goal is that he wants to win races, and he wants to do that at RCR.”
That type of frankness may very well be simply what Busch, who’s winless since 2023, wants. The two-time Cup champion has struggled to recapture his prior dominance inside RCR’s No. 8 car, and the group hopes Pohlman’s strategy will jolt this system back to life.
Pohlman brings robust credentials. Most lately, he led JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier to the 2024 Xfinity Series championship. Over three years collectively, that duo racked up 9 wins and by no means completed beneath third in factors.
Before rejoining RCR full-time, Pohlman oversaw its analysis and development efforts, giving him familiarity with the group and a deep technical perspective on the current-generation Cup car.
Pohlman acknowledges the problem forward. The Cup Series has developed quickly since his final full-time stint in 2011, and adapting to immediately’s aerodynamics, tires, and horsepower packages will demand full dedication.
“When we got the first car through there, I understood the rule and mindset of what NASCAR was after,” Pohlman stated. “I think that helped me at RCR when I got there because it put me, not a step ahead, but having been involved and understanding the car from conception was important.
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“To move forward, obviously, I’m three years behind. Things have developed and changed. I’m just going to have to get in there and dig and find out where they’re at, right? The mindset and the rules are still the same from four years ago.”
Pohlman stated he plans to “lead by example,” generally grabbing a wrench himself, large image and hands-on in equal measure. He believes holding crew morale high during long seasons is important, particularly on a crew below intense stress to finish a long winless drought.
Busch appears to share that confidence. “You’re not hiring a guy based on results in a Cup car, that’s yet to be seen, but hopefully he’s the guy that can lead us in the right direction,” Busch stated after the announcement.
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