On May 21, 2026, tragedy struck the NASCAR world. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch tragically passed away at the age of 41 years old.
Busch ended his storied career as the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing, collecting three wins and four pole awards with the organization. Following his tragic passing, RCR was faced with the difficult task of moving forward while mourning the loss of one of its drivers. With hundreds of employees, millions of dollars in sponsorship commitments, and two charters requiring a car to compete in each race, the organization had to navigate an incredibly difficult balance between grief and the demands of running a race team.
The Coca-Cola 600
Seeing another driver pilot what was once Busch’s car in the immediate aftermath of his death felt unfathomable. Yet, the racing must go on. In the wake of the tragedy, Richard Childress Racing turned to Austin Hill, who has been full-time for them in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series since 2022, to drive their second car. With Hill at the helm, the organization would retire the No. 8 and transition to the No. 33 entering Charlotte Motor Speedway with heavy hearts.
“The number one thing that I kept going back to was that I didn’t want it to be about me at all,” Hill told The Athletic. “I didn’t want anyone to even know I was driving the race car. When the decision was made to take the No. 8 off and put the 33 on it, I was all for it.”
“Then they brought up putting my name on the car,” Hill continued. “I said, ‘I don’t think we should put my name on the car.’ I said if you don’t want Kyle’s name on it, we should do it blank. I even kind of pushed for not having my name on it for the rest of the season.”
The No. 33, riding without a name on the name rail, finished 27th-place in the Coca-Cola 600, completing their first race following the unthinkable. Hill leaned on Kevin Harvick (who replaced Dale Earnhardt Sr. after his fatal accident) along with team owner Richard Childress and the rest of RCR.
As for his teammate Austin Dillon, the 36-year old told Jeff Gluck that writing about Busch was his only way to move forward. He published a letter expressing his feelings about his former teammate.
Austin Hill’s Season Continued
The 32-year old would return to the seat at Nashville Superspeedway, when he matched a 27th-place finish. Entering the race at Michigan International Raceway, Childress confirmed that Hill would pilot the No. 33 for the rest of the 2026 season.
“It’s a seven-day-a-week job,” Hill said on July 8 about racing full-time in both series.
“Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are simulator days for both Cup and O’Reilly. Monday is debrief day. That’s actually hard because the Cup debriefs and O’Reilly meetings happen at the same time. I’m in all the Cup meetings in person, then toward the end I call into the O’Reilly meeting. That puts me at a disadvantage trying to do both, but we’re handling it the best we can.”
The Georgia native’s family life also changed. For the Hill family, Sunday went from the day they spent at the lake or the pool to the day the father and husband of the household drove in the Cup Series.
“My littlest one, Barrett, just the other day said, ‘Hey Dad, let’s go do …’ whatever it was,” Hill added. “I said, ‘No, Dad’s got to work.’ He goes, ‘You’re always working.’ I said, ‘Yeah, Dad’s always working right now.'”
Michigan saw a 20th-place finish for the No. 33 team. A season best 18th-place finish at Pocono Raceway followed. In 12 starts in place of Busch, Hill has two top-20 finishes and only three DNFs.
“At the end of the day, we’re several weeks out, but this is still Kyle’s race team,” Hill said. “This is still his race car that he should be racing this weekend, next weekend and the weekend after that.”
Where RCR Stands
“As time’s gone on, the next thing you want to do is to try and heal the people here at RCR by going out and running well, and that hasn’t gone great,” Dillon told Gluck, “but when you have a run, just a top-10, it’s like hitting a golf shot. You can hit the whole round struggling and hit one at the end and it makes you come back for more. Those moments are what you have to live off of when you’re struggling.”
The No. 3 team has earned two top-10s since Busch’s passing. While they have struggled to capture good results in Cup, they have been improving in the O’Reilly Series. Since Busch’s passing, Hill has earned three top-5s and four top-10s. One of those top-5s was an emotional win at Naval Base Coronado.
“I’m not gonna lie, I started talking to this guy a little bit down the straightaways,’’ Hill said pointing to his Busch No. 8 hat. “I was like ‘Man, Kyle, if you’re here, give me something, let me find another gear.’”
“And for whatever reason, the car started coming to life and the two leaders got together and when there was blood in the water behind the 54 (runner-up Taylor Gray), I knew it was going to be tough to get around him, that it was going to be a battle,” Hill added. “And when I got clear of him, I was very surprised to see how much of a gap I got on him.”
Team owner Richard Childress was emotional as well.
“It’s great to win here and we all have Kyle in our hearts,’’ said Childress with a cracking voice. “You may not show it on the outside, but you do here (pointing at his heart).”
Looking Forward
In two weeks, the Cup and O’Reilly Series race at Daytona International Raceway. Either of these races could provide an opportunity for RCR to capture a victory. Hill has four wins in nine Daytona O’Reilly starts, while teammate Jesse Love has one in five starts. On the Cup side, Dillon is a two-time Daytona winner, including the summer race in 2022. The Georgia native has limited Cup Series experience at superspeedways, but is dominant on the track type in O’Reilly. A wild finish could result in Hill securing an upset victory.
Looking forward, a driver for the No. 33 2027 has not been announced. If Hill does not return, free agents such as Josh Berry and Ty Dillon could be candidates. Either of them could be favorable options as Berry has a Cup win and Ty Dillon brings more Cup experience.
There are 12 Cup Series and 10 O’Reilly Series races left until the end of the season. Both Cup entries (No. 3 and No. 33) are mathematically eliminated from Chase contention, but both O’Reilly cars for RCR are locked in. An O’Reilly championship or another Cup win for RCR would go a long way in the healing process as the team and greater NASCAR community continues to honor and remember Busch’s legacy.
