Richard Childress (Left) - Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Kyle Busch (Right) - Image Credit: Frank Piscani - Imagn Images

Jun 7, 2026, 3:07 AM CUT

Richard Childress Reveals Final Kyle Busch Contract Went Unsigned

The mood around Richard Childress Racing remains somber in the aftermath of Kyle Busch’s tragic passing on May 21. Childress was scheduled for a media availability at Michigan on Saturday, June 6, which didn’t take place for the reason it had been planned.

A few races before Busch’s death, which emerged from pneumonia that led to sepsis, there was increasing chatter about his drive for next year. There were talks that he could leave RCR for a different team, and also talks that he might step away from the Cup series altogether.

However, on Saturday, Richard Childress addressed the media and revealed that the original agenda for the media availability was to announce Busch's contract extension for 2027.

“The hardest part of this is, today we were gonna be in here, Kyle was gonna be with me, and we were gonna announce that he was coming back in 2027 and drive for RCR,” Childress said via Cup Scene on YouTube.

DARLINGTON, SC - MAY 14: Kyle Busch 8 Richard Childress Racing Lucas Oil Chevrolet talks with team owner Richard Childress prior to the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Goodyear 400 on May 14, 2023 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAY 14 NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2305143666400

Childress revealed that the media availability was scheduled to make the big announcement in the presence of RCR’s partners at GM and Chevrolet, and it wasn't the kind of media availability it turned out to be. Childress also spoke about his conversations with Busch leading up to his hospitalization.

“I talked to Kyle Tuesday night, before everything went down Wednesday night and Thursday. And we had a great conversation talking about how he said, ‘You give me cars like you gave me the last three weeks, I will make the Chase this year.’ I mean, we were that confident.”

Childress was left shaken by the incident and said so in his interactions with the media in Michigan. RCR decided to retire Busch’s No. 8 because the font was one he designed.

RCR will be running the same car with the No. 33, with Austin Hill replacing Busch for the remainder of 2026.

Richard Childress on The Legacy Kyle Busch Leaves Behind

Richard Childress is now dealing with the loss of the winningest driver in NASCAR, and for him, it feels eerily similar to losing Dale Earnhardt in 2001. Having worked with Busch since 2023, Childress gave an emotional reaction when asked what Busch’s legacy will be with NASCAR and RCR.

“Kyle will go down in history as one of the greatest race drivers that has ever been. He’ll definitely be in the Hall of Fame. I’d love to see him put him in right away,” said an emotional Childress, who also spoke about the impact Busch had on RCR.

“He helped RCR when we needed. He came right in, and we won three races, the first part of the year. Got a little off, and we had a lot of opportunities to win other races, and we just didn’t finish and capitalize on them,” the RCR owner added.

Kyle Busch joined Richard Childress Racing in 2023 and won at Auto Club, Talladega, and Gateway. The win at Gateway in June 2023 would go down as Busch’s last Cup race win.

Kyle Busch, who had recently struck form and was thinking his time at RCR would get better, was hoping that he would get back to victory lane. What is interesting is that Childress spoke about Busch’s confidence in the RCR car, something that didn’t seem like a reality at the start of the season.

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Yash Kotak