Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has tapped Jim Pohlman, a championship-winning crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, to serve as crew chief for Kyle Busch and the No. 8 NASCAR Cup Series team beginning in 2026.
Pohlman will rejoin the Richard Childress Racing stable as a crew chief and shot-caller for next season, after previously spending time with the organization as the team’s head of research and development.
“Everyone at Richard Childress Racing remains focused on improving performance and is committed to putting the right people in place, including on the No. 8 team,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “Jim Pohlman is a relentless competitor in the garage and fits well with our mission and approach at RCR. He was well-respected during his previous tenure in Welcome, and we know that he will do a great job leading the No. 8 team and Kyle Busch.”
At the beginning of 2023, Pohlman chose to leave his position at Richard Childress Racing and join JR Motorsports, where he has since served as crew chief for Justin Allgaier and the No. 7 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
In his time serving as shot-caller for JR Motorsports, Pohlman has been to Victory Lane a total of nine times with Justin Allgaier, and has collected an incredible 38 top-five and 58 top-10 finishes, while finishing second in points in 2023 and winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2024.
This season, Allgaier and Pohlman have been to Victory Lane three times — Las Vegas, Homestead, and Nashville — and are currently in the semi-final round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, looking to advance into the Championship 4 once again.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series campaign will serve as the first-ever full-time crew chiefing job for Pohlman at NASCAR’s top-level. In 2011, Pohlamn served as the interim crew chief for Juan Pablo Montoya at Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, where the pairing managed to collect two top-10s.
Pohlman will replace Randall Burnett as crew chief of the No. 8 Chevrolet, who is set to leave Richard Childress Racing at the end of the season in order to pursue an opportunity serving as crew chief for rookie phenom Connor Zilisch. Andy Street is serving as the team’s interim crew chief.
Busch has had what can only be described as a disasterous 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, as the two-time series champion has only secured two top-fives (both on road courses) and nine top-10s, placing him 22nd in series point standings with three races left on the season.
