Another week of frustration on pit road has led Richard Childress Racing to overhaul the crew for Kyle Busch ahead of Phoenix. Busch has had speed this NASCAR season but mistakes on pit road have led to unsatisfying results.
Between Daytona and Atlanta, Kyle Busch replaced his jackman. Now, after Las Vegas, there are more changes coming, including another jackman.
This week, the rear changer, front changer, and jackman are all new for the No. 8 pit crew. It feels like we could see some growing pains as RCR tries to mix and match members to put together a solid, consistent team.
Rear changer Michael Johnson is in for Chris Jackson. Shiloh Windsor is in at front changer in place of Michael Russell. Finally, Doug Warrick will replace Garrett Crall as the jackman. Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports detailed the replacements.
Now, Kyle Busch is not the only driver that has had pit road issues. His have been obvious and ongoing, but he is not the only one. 23XI Racing has also had issues. Both Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick’s crews have had costly mistakes this season.
In the Next Gen era, pit crews are even more important than ever before. These are true athletes who practice being quick, explosive, and efficient week in and week out. However, there are shortcomings when it comes to hiring crew members.
Not everyone can have the best crew. There are teams paying good money for a top-tier crew, and if you miss out on those elite crew members, then you have to turn to others and hope that you get a few diamonds in the rough.
Kyle Busch pit crew issues plague him once again
At Las Vegas, Kyle Busch was fast. He had top-5 speed, if not winning speed. However, during a pit stop, Busch’s splitter went just over the line separating his stall from the stall in front of him.
No one on the pit crew caught it and Busch was handed a pass-through penalty that he was never able to come back from. The good news is that Busch has had good runs. P12 at Daytona could have been better if not for pit issues.
At Atlanta, we saw what happens when Rowdy gets on and off pit road quickly. He was P3 in that three-wide finish with Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suárez. Right now, I think Busch is one of the top drivers in the Cup Series, but his problems on pit stops will continue to hold him back until they get it figured out.
I’m not sure if Kyle Busch will improve with these changes. Part of a successful pit crew is having cohesion and chemistry. It is a stop that takes 10 seconds or less if you do it right, that’s not quite a blink of an eye, but it’s fast and intense. Will these changes lead to improved results for Busch? How will he do in the Shriners Children’s 500?
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