The nerves haven’t yet settled down after NASCAR’s tragic loss of Kyle Busch. Beyond the Busch family, the impact is weighing most heavily on his team, Richard Childress Racing. But as they say, the show must go on. 

RCR crew will still not be used to referring to Kyle Busch’s No. 8 car as the 33 after Richard Childress retired the number until Brexton Busch, Kyle’s son, chooses to take it up when he's ready.

As Busch's replacement, the team announced Austin Hill as the new driver of the 33 Chevrolet. Meanwhile, Richard Childress’ grandson, Austin Dillon, already drives the No. 3 car made popular by Dale Earnhardt. This adjustment made Dillon recall a pact between his grandfather and the 7-time Cup series winner.

Speaking to the media in the build-up to the Cup race in Nashville, Dillon said, “I go back to what my grandfather and Dale talked about before on the great horse wreck, is what my grandfather calls it, on their hunting trip. That they would go on, whether one of them passed away or not, that they would be there. Racing and putting their heart and soul into it.”

Just the way both legends, Earnhardt and Childress, had promised to keep going and keep their racing dream alive, Dillon feels Childress' decision to continue Busch's car and add Austin Hill to the Cup program as his replacement only honors that promise.

Dillon then spoke about Kyle Busch’s impact on the team and the kind of mentality he brought to the table. He referred to a poem by Red Steagall about the RCR and Kyle Busch mentality of riding for the brand. 

Dillon said, “Kyle, he rode for the brand, and now, it’s our time to go do that. So I think we all really want to go out there and run well for him and for my grandfather and for all the RCR fans out there.”

Dillon on the other Austin driving for RCR

Austin Dillon will be front and centre of RCR’s hopes of mounting a genuine fight in the memory of Kyle Busch, and with Busch’s number retired, Austin Hill will step into the newly numbered 33 Chevrolet. Dillon admitted that it would be a tough task, but the team is all on the same page. 

“There’s a lot of hard work and effort going on right now, working hard with Austin Hill and doing what we can to make everybody proud. Obviously, it’s a big deal for Austin to get that opportunity. “

Dillon appreciated what Hill brings to the table for RCR. Hill won the NOAPS race in Daytona for RCR earlier in the year. He comes with the pedigree of 23 wins in the NOAPS and Truck series. 

Dillon said, “Austin Hill, he’s a grizzly bear. You’ve seen what he’s able to do in the Xfinity Series. He’s won 23 times in NASCAR, between the O’Reilly Series and the Truck Series. He doesn’t take crap out there on the track.

"And in this series, when you’re coming into something like he is right now, you’ve got to be that guy. And I’m excited to work with him, excited to see his development.”

Hill, who has been with RCR since 2022, will know that the boots are big to fill, but having a different number on the car may make the transition less daunting. But the pressure to make an early impact will be weighing on him.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason