NASCAR News: Age catching up with Kyle Busch. Crew Chief was not the problem

Richard Childress Racing announced yet another crew chief change for Kyle Busch (pictured) on April 27, 2026, replacing Jim Pohlman with Andy Street on the No. 8 Toyota effective immediately.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The move comes after only ten races into the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Busch sits 27th in the standings with a single top-10 finish — a 10th at Talladega — and remains winless in 103 straight races dating back to June 2023. While RCR is once again shuffling the pit box, the latest shakeup feels more like a distraction than a real solution.

At 40 years old and turning 41 in early May, there’s a growing sense that age is finally catching up to Kyle Busch, the two-time Cup champion. The driver who once dominated the series now looks a step slower, less instinctive, and far less competitive on a weekly basis. Changing crew chiefs for the second time in seven months may give the team a short-term jolt of optimism, but it does little to address the root issue staring everyone in the face.

Pohlman, hired with high hopes after winning the 2024 Xfinity title with Justin Allgaier, lasted just 10 races. Street, a longtime RCR veteran who worked with Busch for the final five races of 2025, now returns to the pit box. The two have some prior chemistry, but the No. 8 has been stuck in mediocrity for three straight seasons regardless of who’s calling the shots.

RCR as an organization is struggling across the board, but the spotlight remains squarely on Busch. Swapping crew chiefs again treats the symptom while ignoring the bigger picture. Father Time may be the one opponent the veteran driver simply cannot outrun.