Photo courtesy of Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Tuesday morning, Kyle Busch and Richard Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing, announced that the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will join the Chevrolet stable beginning next season.
The announcement comes a few months after 23XI Racing, seemingly out of nowhere, revealed that Tyler Reddick would join the team beginning in 2024.
“RCR has an impressive history in NASCAR and I’m honored that Richard is putting his trust in me to come in and continue to build on that legacy,” Busch said in a statement. “Growing up in a family of passionate racers myself, I feel like the culture that the Childress family has built within their organization will be an ideal fit for me. As I begin the next chapter of my career, I’m looking forward to driving for RCR and working with everyone there to add more wins and championships to both of our resumes.”
Busch is currently going for a third championship in the Cup Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, who Busch has driven for since 2008.
He owns 60 wins in the Cup Series to go with being the all-time wins leader in the Xfinity Series (102) and the Camping World Truck Series (62).
Included in the RCR deal for Busch is the ability to drive in the Indianapolis 500, which according to Busch, was not an option while with Joe Gibbs.
“By all means, any IndyCar teams that are Chevrolet call me up.” Busch said.
The No.8 that’s currently driven by Reddick will go to Busch next season, along with Reddick’s current crew chief Randall Burnett. Burnett and Reddick have been together since 2019, winning the Xfinity Series title in their first season paired up. This season, the duo has scored two victories in the Cup Series and are currently hunting for a Cup Series title.
“Obviously, me and Tyler have a good relationship,” Burnett said. “We know each other, know what we are thinking. It’s going to depend on learning Kyle [Busch] and how he talks about cars and how he describes what he wants in terms of changes. It’s going to take some time to evolve on our end and that’s part of getting a new driver.”
Childress confirmed that RCR will have three charters for next season during the press conference Tuesday but did not specify where the charter would come from or what number Reddick will have next season.
Along with Busch joining RCR, Busch’s Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, intends to run as Chevrolets next season but the specifics have not been laid out on the team’s future.
To bring the signing full-circle, Childress gifted Busch a watch, asking Busch if he can “hold his watch” for him.
“The addition of Kyle Busch to the Richard Childress Racing lineup is significant, not only for our organization, but for the sport as a whole,” Childress said in a statement. “Kyle is a proven contender at the highest levels of the sport, and I believe that his experience and dedication to motorsports will elevate our race program across the board. I’ve always admired Kyle’s driving style and his ability to win and race for championships ever since he entered the sport. Who wouldn’t want a proven NASCAR Cup Series Champion driving their car?”
