Kyle Busch’s tenure at Richard Childress Racing, paired with crew chief Randall Burnett since 2023, has been a mix of high expectations and uneven execution. Since first pairing together in 2023, the Burnett-Busch duo earned three wins, 15 top-5s, and 27 top-10 finishes in 72 races together. They also qualified for the NASCAR playoffs in 2023. Yet in the two years since, the winless streak and failure to make the playoffs cast a long shadow over what was supposed to be a later-career surge. Burnett also worked with Matt Tifft, Austin Dillon, Paul Menard, and Ben Kennedy in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at RCR. But now, his trajectory is set to change.

On the other side of NASCAR’s rising storyline, 19-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch has officially secured a full-time ride in the NASCAR Cup Series for 2026 with Trackhouse Racing. Zilisch impressed in the Xfinity Series this season with 9 wins in 26 starts at JR Motorsports, including conquering tracks like Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Daytona, and showing poise even after a broken collarbone suffered at Watkins Glen. His promotion marks a major milestone, replacing Daniel Suárez in Trackhouse’s three-car lineup alongside veteran Cup drivers. But a crew chief shakeup shifts the game for both RCR and Trackhouse.

Trackhouse pairs Connor Zilisch with a proven veteran crew chief

In a rumor-turned-truth in the NASCAR garage, Randall Burnett will depart Richard Childress Racing at the end of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season to join Trackhouse Racing as the new crew chief for Connor Zilisch. Burnett guided Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Chevrolet since 2023, after previously winning 4 races with Tyler Reddick at RCR. Before that, he worked at JTG Daugherty Racing with A. J. Allmendinger. Trackhouse Racing posted the announcement on X, writing, “NEWS: Welcome to The House, Randall Burnett! He joins as @ConnorZilisch‘s crew chief for 2026.”

Zilisch also added on X, “Stoked to welcome Randall to the team! Can’t wait for next year.” Burnett now transitions from leading the sport’s winningest active driver to working with Zilisch. Trackhouse sees Burnett as a key piece in Zilisch’s Cup Series future. The teenager’s 2025 Xfinity season wins tally has put him in reach of Kyle Busch‘s record. Zilisch has also made three Cup starts, finishing as high as 11th at Atlanta. RCR has not yet named Burnett’s replacement atop the No. 8 pit box. Veteran voices, including Kevin Harvick, had long speculated about the move before it became official.

In a recent episode of Kevin Harvick‘s Happy Hour podcast, along with co-hosts Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith, Harvick pointed out, “I think that when you look at the performance of the 8 the last couple weeks, it probably reflects that there’s something going on. Usually when those things happen, they’re handled one of two ways, either bad or good,” reflecting a change in dynamics within the RCR team.

Smith also added, “I feel bad for the RCR campus. They seem to be a group that develops some talent, and then they get poached a lot, whether it’s the Tyler Reddick situation, or now maybe this one with Randall. I feel bad because you see their steps being taken to be good, and then those people leave and they’re really good somewhere else. It’s like, ‘dang, you couldn’t have been doing less…’ I think Randall’s a very capable crew chief. It’s interesting how that flows with Kyle Busch and who would want to step up to that mantle for him.”

These comments portrayed how leadership moves reverberate through pit strategy, setup choices, and driver confidence. While the future seems confusing for RCR, Trackhouse is looking ahead to Cup glory.

Trackhouse eyes future dominance with Connor Zilisch at the helm

At just 19, Connor Zilisch proved himself as a prodigy in the Xfinity Series. Reflecting on his journey, Zilisch admitted, “I never thought I would make it anywhere in racing,” fighting back tears, highlighting how far he’s come from racing go-karts in Europe and being forced to give up his Formula 1 dream due to funding constraints. Justin Marks echoed the sentiment, saying the decision to sign him boiled down to “the level of maturity, the approach, the ability to deliver in big moments.”

Zilisch’s Cup Series promotions will see him competing alongside Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen at Trackhouse. Marks justified the decision on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio: “With him being so young, we might as well just go for it, and we’ve got great commercial support behind it with WeatherTech and Redbull. We have a lot of people within the company that are really excited about it. He ran a few Cup races this year just to look at how he learns a Cup car and how he approaches a Cup car. Just became clear very quickly to us that this kid is a big part of our future, and we might as well just get started with it.”

Ultimately, Zilisch’s success at the Cup level will depend on both his talent and Trackhouse’s ability to provide a competitive ride. Marks remains confident, saying, “Watching him operate and watching the talent, it really became more and more evident every single week that we’ve got somebody here who’s very, very special. Mature beyond his years, hard worker, really kind of exemplifies everything that you want out of a Cup driver.” Fans and pundits alike will be watching closely to see if the youngster can translate his dominance in Xfinity to the sport’s highest stage.