Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Announce One-Year Contract Extension

Kyle Busch will remain the driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series through the end of the 2026 season as the driver and team announced on Saturday morning that they have exercised an option in the driver's contract, which has resulted in a one-year contract extension.

The extension will keep Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion with 63 career NASCAR Cup Series wins, driving for an organization, which has collected six NASCAR Cup Series championships and 117 wins in NASCAR's premier division.

The storied Richard Childress Racing team is elated to keep the 40-year-old Busch in their stable for the 2026 season as they look to build upon the three race wins that they've achieved together.

“We’re proud to continue our relationship with Kyle Busch and remain focused on our shared goals of
winning races and championships together,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard
Childress Racing. “Kyle is a tremendous racer and ambassador of the sport for our fans and partners.
Everyone at RCR is committed to putting the pieces in place to enhance the competition side of our
business.”

Busch, who spent the first three seasons of his full-time NASCAR Cup Series career at Hendrick Motorsports, followed by 15 seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing, feels truly at home with the Richard Childress Racing organization, and Busch feels optimistic about his future competitiveness at RCR due to the building blocks that have been put in place at the race team over the last season.

“It’s an honor to race for Richard Childress, our partners, and team Chevy fans,” said Busch. “I feel like my family and I have found a home at RCR, and it means a lot that Richard continues to put his trust into me. My chapter at RCR is not yet complete, and I know we are building something special here. I remain focused on adding more wins and a championship to our collective resumes, and I want to thank Richard for the steps he is taking to help put all of the necessary pieces into place to give us a legitimate shot at a championship.”

In the announcement of Busch's contract extension, Richard Childress Racing confirmed that it will remain a two-car NASCAR Cup Series operation next season and Busch will be joined by teammate Austin Dillon, a five-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner, who will continue to drive the organization's iconic No. 3 Chevrolet in 2026.

In their first season together, Busch and Richard Childress Racing combined to win three races (Auto Club Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and World Wide Technology Raceway) during the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. Busch would go winless for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career in 2024. The slump in performance a season ago led to a slew of changes within the competition department at Richard Childress Racing, which has led to improved overall speed for the No. 3 and No. 8 teams through the opening 12 races of 2025.

Busch is seeking his first win of the 2025 campaign. Despite numerous close brushes with victory since last season, Busch is heading into Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on a 69-race winless drought.

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