Even before Busch’s death, there was speculation that Busch would continue with Richard Childress Racing.
A media availability had been pencilled in for NASCAR’s visit to Michigan, which was scratched in the wake of Busch’s sad passing.
On the eve of the Cup Series race, Richard Childress addressed the media for the first time since Busch died – revealing what he had hoped to announce.
“The hardest part of this is that today, we were going to be in here, Kyle was going to be with me, and we were going to announce that he was coming back in 2027 and drive for RCR,” said Childress.
“We wanted to do it up here in Michigan with our GM friends, with Chevrolet, and it didn’t happen.
“This is a different type of media availability instead of a press conference that he was coming back to race for us in 2027.”
Busch and RCR had been riding a wave of momentum, including top 10 finishes at Talladega and Watkins Glen in the weeks leading up to his death.
There was an air of positivity in the #8 camp, which Childress reflected on amid the impending contract extension announcement.
“I talked to Kyle Tuesday night, before everything went down Wednesday night and Thursday, and we had a great conversation,” Childress explained.
“He said, ‘you give me cars like you gave me the last three weeks and I will make the Chase this year.’ We were that confident. Both of us had a lot of confidence in this team.
“We haven’t had the year that any of us expected or wanted. We started out like gangbusters, and it just didn’t go as we expected.
“We’ve had a lot of opportunities, and we just didn’t finish them off.
“But that’s the tough part about today. Even walking in here, I was thinking, what if he and I were walking in together. Instead, I’m in here talking and thanking the media for your support.”
Childress likened Busch’s passing to that of Dale Earnhardt, who died in the 2001 Daytona 500 driving for RCR.
Both drivers died in the twilight of their respective careers. Busch was 41 while Earnhardt was 49 and had both spoken with Childress about plans after racing.
“I haven’t slept very well, I’ll leave it at that,” said Childress.
“Kyle Busch was a totally different person when he was away from the track.
“He wanted to win. He was driven by winning, hard work and doing everything that he could do to help the team.
“Once somebody said, ‘the only difference is one’s got an accent and the other doesn’t’.
“We built a friendship out of this. We went hunting. I took him on one of his very first hunts, and he really got into hunting. He started taking Brexton. We had other plans.
“The sad part for me looking back, knowing what Dale Earnhardt had in mind and the plans he had for his future, and then sitting and talking to Kyle at different times, knowing his plans and what he had in the future for him, Brexton and his family and the many things that we all could have done together; that was probably the toughest part of this whole thing.”
In the wake of Busch’s passing, Richard Childress Racing has installed Austin Hill in the team’s second car carrying #33 as opposed to the #8 run by Busch.
Hill will continue racing the team’s second car for the foreseeable future.
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