Kyle Busch aims to close the season with a victory at Phoenix amid growing winless streak at RCR

Kyle Busch has set his sights on ending his winless streak at Phoenix. The Richard Childress Racing driver had one of his better days at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 13th after a top-10 run during the final stages.

On Sunday's Xfinity 500, Busch began with a seventh-place start, but faded to a mid-pack finish in both stages. He later regained his pace and finished three spots ahead of his RCR teammate, Austin Dillon.

The No.8 driver previously had a top-10 finish in his home turf at Las Vegas, but similar results have been few and far between. Moreover, this is the second year that Busch has gone without a race win since 2005. His last win came in the 2023 Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway.

In a post-race interview with NBC Sports, Busch remained focused on snapping his winless streak, saying,

"After a strong qualifying effort with the No. 8 Chevrolet, we battled a tight center that led us to go a lap down early in the race. The entire Richard Childress Racing team made adjustments throughout the race that not only got us back on the lead lap but had us inside the top 10 at race’s end. We leave Martinsville Speedway with a 13th-place finish, and will look to Phoenix next week with our focus on concluding the season with a win.”

Kyle Busch recently underwent a crew chief change. Randall Burnett transitioned to a supporting role after announcing his 2026 shift to Trackhouse Racing as Connor Zilisch's crew chief, while Andy Street took over as interim crew chief for Busch's No.8 team.

Following the same, RCR has named Jim Pohlman as Busch's new crew chief for the 2026 season.

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Jim Pohlman sends an optimistic message as Kyle Busch's new crew chief

Jim Pohlman is the current crew chief of JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier. The two have combined to win the 2024 Xfinity Series title and have now reached the final four once again.

Kyle Busch recently noted that he shares personality traits with Pohlman that remind him of previous successful collaborations. In his part, Pohlman reiterated his commitment to RCR.

"I feel like I can come in, help lead the company, and do the things they ask me to do—just bring the right mentality. I think the biggest thing in this sport is having your headspace right, being focused on your own stuff and what you have to do. So yeah, I am definitely looking forward to getting in there and getting to work this winter," Pohlman said via X/Matt Weaver.

Pohlman previously served as head of research and development at RCR, but has minimal experience managing a Next Gen car. Despite the limitation, Kyle Busch is confident in Pohlman's abilities to lead the No.8 team.

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Edited by Vignesh Kanna