LOUDON, NH - JULY 15: Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart Haas Racing Busch Light Ford speaks with the media during a press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz during pre-race activities for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Crayon 301 on July 15, 2023, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hamsphire. Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUL 15 NASCAR Cup Series Crayon 301 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon23071504301
LOUDON, NH - JULY 15: Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart Haas Racing Busch Light Ford speaks with the media during a press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz during pre-race activities for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Crayon 301 on July 15, 2023, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hamsphire. Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUL 15 NASCAR Cup Series Crayon 301 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon23071504301
It didn't take too long after the Jack Link's 500 for Richard Childress Racing to switch out Kyle Busch's crew chief. And after a third change in less than a year, Kevin Harvick is happy about one thing: Richard Childress' proactiveness.
During his podcast, ‘Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour,' the former NASCAR Cup Series champion spoke about and discussed the situation.
"I think Richard believes that Kyle Busch can get it done behind the wheel. It’s just a matter of putting him in the right scenario..."
The roots of this go back to Bristol, after fans noted a heated exchange between Pohlman and Busch over the setup. Later, after the #8 car was spun out, Jim Pohlman expressed his frustration over the radio. Amidst Busch's 103 winless streak, this certainly didn't help Rowdy find his form back. And that's why Harvick believes Childress is making this move.
"There isn't one minute of the day that Richard Childress is walking around happy right now. And that man loves racing. He is one of the most competitive people that you will ever meet in your life and he does not want to do anything but win. And I can promise you that him making that he was in there making moves to try to figure out how to fix this mess."
Andy Street now takes over as crew chief for the #8 car while Jim Pohlman moves to a different role. Street brings his years of expertise to the team. It will be interesting to see how Street and Busch navigate the upcoming races.
RCR Explains Why The Change Was Made
Speaking about the decision, Richard Childress said, “This move is about putting our people in the best position to succeed. 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.”
The RCR president, Mike Verlander, also commented on this change, saying, “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've seen what Kyle Busch can do with a strong crew chief pairing. After all, in his six years with Adam Stevens as crew chief, he won two championships and 28 races.
You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!
Written by
Chionia Libania Colaco
Edited by
Siddharth Shirwadkar