When 23XI Racing recruited Charles Denike, the team had no idea. Until the end of 2024, Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 car stood out for its squabbles with rivals and Wallace’s moody fallouts. However, the addition of Denike as the No. 23 crew chief drastically changed things. The former Craftsman Truck Series veteran hit it off with Wallace – as the latter has clinched 1 win, 6 top fives, and 14 top tens. Denny Hamlin thinks the same resurgence is possible for Kyle Busch.

The two-time Cup Series champion is currently mired in a 90-race winless streak. Kyle Busch earned his first top-10 finish since mid-July at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The narratives of his piling miseries are almost deafening at this points. Nevertheless, Busch just threw himself a lifeline.

Kyle Busch gets a nod of optimism

For the past three years, Justin Allgaier has had a stellar aide in the Xfinity Series. That is none other than Jim Pohlman, the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet crew chief. He guided Allgaier not only to plenty of trophies but also the 2024 Xfinity Series championship. But Pohlman also had a big role in Richard Childress Racing. He was among the leaders of RCR’s research and development program during the initial campaign of the Next Gen car in 2022. And that experience became paramount in paving his path for 2026, as he is returning to RCR. Denny Hamlin approves it: “I think that’s probably the best option.”

A few days ago, Kyle Busch announced that Jim Pohlman will be the crew chief for the No. 8 RCR Chevrolet. In an ‘Actions Detrimental’ episode, Denny Hamlin explained why this would help the distressed team and Kyle Busch immensely. “Just a fresh set of eyes, right? I like that RCR is hiring out of the company versus promoting someone. More than likely, if someone was really really good within the shop, their their cars will be running better, right? And so bring in a new set of eyes that hasn’t seen this thing for a while.”

Even 23XI Racing, of which Denny Hamlin is a co-owner, shares common ground with Jim Pohlman. The Xfinity crew chief worked with Tyler Reddick’s present crew chief. Hamlin explained, “We recruited Billy Scott for the 45 back in the day was that, you know, he knew the NextGen car. He was part of the development when he was at RCR. He helped NASCAR with the development of the NextGen car. We thought we’d get a leg up by having someone uh who was familiar…He probably more than likely he worked with Billy Scott at some point on the development of the Next-Gen car.”

Kyle Busch let out the news at Talladega Superspeedway, highlighting Pohlman’s skills. “I would say his passion and the leadership conversations that we had,” he said. “You are not hiring a guy based off results in a Cup car. That is yet to be seen and made, but hopefully he’s the guy that can lead us in the right direction with not just the 8 car, but RCR as a whole.” Even Hamlin rooted for this union: “Hopefully it gets Kyle Busch the the performance jump that he’s looking for.” 

Denny Hamlin sanctioned this novel partnership in the hope of Kyle Busch’s comeback. Another RCR driver also praised the incoming crew chief.

Everybody chipped in this decision

After all, a 63-time Cup race winner wallow in misery is hardly a pretty sight. What is more, Randall Burnett, the former No. 8 crew chief, left for Trackhouse Racing. So, everybody at RCR is rooting for Kyle Busch‘s redemption, and accordingly, chipped in the lookout for Busch’s new crew chief. RCR brass, which consisted of team owner Richard Childress, team president Mike Verlander, executive vice president Mike Dillon, Busch and Austin Dillon, had conversations with a few different individuals. And Pohlman’s resume jumped out.

Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 RCR Chevy, praised Jim Pohlman. He highlighted his prior experience with the team. “We know what kind of a person he is, what kind of a worker he is,” he said. “His attitude is infectious. We missed him when he left. I think remembering what it was like having him here and some of the things that he did for our organization made it a great fit to come back at the right time with Kyle. I’m really excited to get him in the building and helping build the 8 team.”

Evidently, people are pinning their hopes to Jim Pohlman for Kyle Busch’s redemption. We can only wait until next year and see if the partnership succeeds.