In 2001, the NASCAR world was shaken by the loss of Dale Earnhardt, and Richard Childress was forced to find a replacement while trying to keep the sponsors. And nearly two decades later, the Hall of Fame team owner finds himself in a similar position after the untimely passing of Kyle Busch. 

Just as Kevin Harvick had stepped in for Dale Sr., taking over the renumbered 29 car, Childress has now turned to Austin Hill. He is now confirmed as their permanent driver to the end of 2026. However, the major question was whether the sponsors would remain committed to the team.

During the pre-race conference at Michigan, Childress confirmed that the sponsors will continue till the end of the 2026 season, just like Goodwrench did after Dale Sr.'s passing. 

“Yeah, it's right now we're looking at the rest of the season, and our sponsors have been great to work with to work through this, just like we, uh, had with Dale," Childress said. "You know, the sponsors worked really good with us with that loss, and so putting Austin Hill in it was a choice that we made.”

He further spoke about the reason why the organization made a choice to continue the season with Hill. “We don’t want to put a burden back on everybody trying to go from one driver to the other.” 

Austin Hill took over the renumbered No. 33 car at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He has done 2 races under the RCR banner for the Cup Series and finished 27th in both.

It will be interesting to see how Austin Hill performs at the upcoming races and if he can convert his temporary position into a permanent one. 

Who Will Take Up Kyle Busch’s Spot Permanently at RCR

The O’Reilly driver, Austin Hill, is currently filling till the end of the 2026 season. But the bigger question is who takes over beyond that. 

Jesse Love looked to be the strongest contender to take over the car in the upcoming season, but what stands between him and the seat is the sponsors. Since the car has sponsorships from alcohol and nicotine pouches, the 21-year-old might be deemed too young to drive the car, as Love is too close to the legal age. 

The other option that the team could opt for is Noah Gregson. Not only does he fit the sponsor's criteria of being 25 years old, but he also has a strong sponsor backing with Bass Pro Shops. 

However, as of now, nothing has been confirmed as yet by the organization as to who will drive for the team in 2027. 

Who do you think can be a permanent replacement for Kyle Busch? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Ankita Yadav