Kyle Busch said he is grateful for what Jim Pohlman brought to his Richard Childress Racing No. 8 team through the first 10 races of the season and that senior leadership ultimately made the decision to pair him with Andy Street instead.
After finishing second to Carson Hocevar in the Truck Series race on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway, Busch addressed the change in leadership atop the No. 8 pit box moving forward.
“I mean, I liked Jim (and) I liked his leadership and I liked his fire and his passion and all that sort of stuff,” Busch said. “So, was he in the right position? Obviously, Richard (Childress) and Mike (Verlander) and the guys in charge didn’t really feel that way.
“We had some decent races with Andy Street (last year) so do we come to Texas and run top-10 right here, right now? I’m not sure about that but we certainly have done our due diligence this week in trying to get prepared as we best know how.”
Paired with Street last year, Busch had finishes of 8th at Vegas, 13th at Martinsville and 5th at Phoenix. Right now, Busch sits 27th in the standings and just scored their first top-10 of the season at Talladega — a superspeedway race.
“So, obviously, I think the writing is in the point standings, right,” Busch said. “Like, we’re not where we need to be so there has got to be a change somewhere. From my understanding, I feel like the conversation with Jim was well-received and he was fine with it.”
Busch also addressed everyone at RCR in a shop meeting over the past week and teammate Austin Dillon says the message was well-received.
“He’s all-in and wants to get back,” Dillon said earlier in the afternoon. “I talk to Kyle and his next win is going to be the biggest of his career, if you think about it the right way. All the stuff that has been said and brought up over the past year.
“I feel like if he puts his head down and takes that team back to victory lane … that’s going to be the biggest win of his career. That’s what we’re all fighting for and as a competitor, that’s what I would like to see.”
Busch echoed that sentiment that he is ‘all in’ at Richard Childress Racing.
“I thanked Jim for his leadership and for him being there and being a part of our team and what he did at the time, and that I am fully-in and committed,” Busch said. “I’ve never probably worked as much in these last four years as I did in 15 at (Joe Gibbs Racing) but that’s due to us needing to get better and getting things headed in the right direction.
“We have to put the train back on the tracks and have a direction of what we need to do in order to be able to go forward. I feel like (Dillon) has done that lately. Those guys are clicking on all cylinders and making things look good for them and we have to be able to do the same — carry our weight and help improve the program.
“So I was just reiterating all of that and giving everyone the vote of confidence that we’re all in this together and digging in.”
To wit, Busch is a free agent at the end of the season, and there is a perception that switching from Randall Burnett to Jim Pohlman and now Andy Street is a last ditch effort to keep the two-time Cup Series champion with the organization.
Busch rejected that.
“I wouldn’t agree with that,” he said. “ I mean, I feel like we are in this together and I love Richard and feel like we have worked really well together. Austin is a phenomenal teammate that I have been able to work with. He is one of the best that I’ve had and it’s been a joy working with him.
“It’s just the results are there and we have to line up and try to be better in order to get those.”
And that means resetting with Street.
“Andy and I conversate a lot,” Busch said. “We did a lot last year and I think he has, I don’t know how to say this, a simpler mentality about how he goes about looking at things and it has to make sense for him to believe in it.
“He just doesn’t believe in what the computer tells him. I feel like this is going back to basics and being a little more methodical about race cars.”
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