Larry McReynolds contrasts William Byron, Kyle Busch new deals, predicts RCR shakeup

Larry McReynolds believes the new contracts William Byron and Kyle Busch signed last week are great for both drivers. On the Door Bumper Clear podcast, the legendary NASCAR crew chief and FOX Sports analyst compared the contract signings of Byron and Busch.

“What was Kyle Busch’s other options?” Larry McReynolds said about Busch signing a one-year deal with Richard Childress Racing (RCR). “At 40 years old, sitting on maybe 70-plus race winless streak, not saying it’s because of Kyle Busch, and honestly, what’s Richard Childress Racing’s options as well?

“When you look at Hendrick Motorsports and William Byron doing a four-year extension, that’s kind of a no-brainer for William and the organization. But when you see the one-year deal for Richard Childress and Kyle, really a no-brainer for them as well.”

McReynolds also hinted at some big moves for RCR, specifically for Austin Hill, who drives the No. 21 car in the Xfinity Series. “There’s a reason they’ve convinced Austin Hill to keep driving that 21 Xfinity Series car,” he said.

More on William Byron and Kyle Busch

Since Busch signed just a one-year extension, Hill could replace him once his time with the organization is over. Hill has had a strong run in the Xfinity Series as he has finished in the top 10 of the final standings in his three seasons with RCR. This year likely won’t be any different as he has won three races and finished in the top five in four other races this year.

After Kyle Busch agreed to the new deal, he praised Richard Childress for believing in him. “I give a lot of credit to Richard and him believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be able to come over here and have a chance to drive his car,” Busch said. “So for me, rewarding him with that and having the success on the race track is paramount. Being able to continue on when I first joined, I feel like there were some things that we were doing within the rules at that time that got us some extra speed, and then, there was definitely some things that came down that they didn’t like us doing.”

William Byron is sticking with Hendrick Motorsports because he’s been one of the top drivers in NASCAR for the last few years. He has won the Daytona 500 the last two seasons and is currently the Cup points leader.