Jim Pohlman, who won an Xfinity Series championship as a crew chief with driver Justin Allgaier last season, will take over as Kyle Busch’s crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2026.
Pohlman had led Richard Childress Racing’s research and development department until leaving for JR Motorsports and the Allgaier job starting in 2023. He now returns to RCR with the task of trying to get the two-time Cup champion Busch back into victory lane.
“Jim Pohlman is a relentless competitor in the garage and fits in well with our mission and approach at RCR,” said team owner Richard Childress. “He was well-respected during his previous tenure in Welcome [N.C.], and we know that he will do a great job leading the No. 8 team and Kyle Busch.”
Busch, who has won 63 Cup races but is mired in a 90-race winless streak, won three races in his first season in 2023 at RCR with crew chief Randall Burnett, who will move to Trackhouse Racing to crew chief rookie Connor Zilisch starting next season. Andy Street has filled in as interim crew chief the last couple of races and will finish out the year.
Busch, who has missed the playoffs the last two years, said on Oct. 4 that the team needed a change despite the fact that “I love Randall for everything that he is and who he was for our race team.”
“We’re in a performance-based business and not getting the results, it’s got to fall back on someone,” Busch said. “They re-signed me for another year, so that gave me the notion that they’ve got my back and we needed to find a change somewhere.”
In other crew news, Kaulig Racing spotter Joe White was released from Kaulig Racing. White was the spotter for Ty Dillon, who was run into by William Byron while Dillon slowed to pit during the race last Sunday at Las Vegas.
While spotters try to communicate to those spotters whose drivers might be behind them that they’re pitting, Byron obviously didn’t get the message.
White posted on social media he already knew he wouldn’t return with Dillon next year but had expected to remain with the organization. The team will move AJ Allmendinger spotter Frank Deiny to Dillon and former driver T.J. Bell will spot for Allmendinger.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
