Pohlman admits ‘there might be some spats’ as he pushes to get Kyle Busch winning again

Jim Pohlman and Kyle Busch have plenty of runway ahead of them to build a relationship, but the new leader of Busch’s team is confident the foundation is there.

“We’re probably a lot alike,” Pohlman told RACER. “I haven’t seen his analytical chart as to how his personality is, but having done the crew chief role and reading people, I would say we’re probably identical. There might be some spats, I’m not going to lie.

“He’s passionate. I’m passionate. The end goal is that he wants to win races, and he wants to win races at RCR, and he was crystal clear about that.”

• Busch’s new crew chief arriving with a deep resume, and a fresh challenge

Pohlman returns to Richard Childress Racing to take the reins of the No. 8 team for Busch. He previously spent a year there in 2022 before being recruited by JR Motorsports to work with Justin Allgaier. That’s where Pohlman has been the last three years, winning nine races and the 2024 Xfinity Series title.

Busch said in October that Pohlman was the standout of the candidates to hire for his team. He will be replacing Randall Burnett.

“I think I’m excited the most about having a future ballot Hall of Fame driver,” Pohlman said. “I don’t think – in the last little bit that I’ve watched, and I’ve watched for a while – that he’s lost a step, and I feel confident if we can put some good race cars underneath him, he can get the job done. So, yeah, I’m excited to see that fire in him and that passion. I know that he wants to be back there, and it was really clear in all the meetings.

“That was one of my questions of like, ‘Hey, where are you at? What’s going on?’ It was crystal clear: he wants to be there, and if we perform next year, he’s going to continue to be there. That’s the way I look at it, too. It’s a performance-based industry, and if you’re not performing, why would you want to be there?”

Pohlman’s stint with Allgaier at JRM produced an Xfinity Series title, and he’s counting on the leadership skills he honed there with his return to RCR. Chris Owens/HHP

Pohlman’s resume is thin as far as Cup Series crew chief experience. While he has been in the sport for decades in various positions, the 2026 season will be his first as a full-time leader of a race team. He spent the last 17 races of the 2011 season on the pit box for Juan Pablo Montoya after Brian Pattie’s departure.

The sport has changed since then, as has the race car. But Pohlman was deeply involved with the initial development of the Next Gen car while at Chip Ganassi Racing and in his lone year at Childress, something that stood out for Busch.

“When we got the first car through there, I understood the rule and mindset of what NASCAR was after,” Pohlman said. “I think that helped me at RCR when I got there because it put me, not a step ahead, but having been involved and understanding the car from conception was important.

“To move forward, obviously, I’m three years behind. Things have developed and changed. I’m just going to have to get in there and dig and find out where they’re at, right? The mindset and the rules are still the same from four years ago.”

It’ll be the aerodynamics, tires and horsepower that Pohlman anticipates having to get up to speed on. But he believes the notebook is there for him. Even better, as a key partner of Chevrolet, the team has resources and access to what their manufacturer teammates are doing.

Pohlman strives to be hands-on and lead by example. He believes he developed a good rapport with those at Childress in his first stint there because he showed the willingness to jump in and tighten some bolts in addition to the data and other responsibilities he had. It goes a long way to help those who might be overloaded.

“I hope to bring some of that mentality to the group,” Pohlman says. “I think they know I’m going to bring that mentality of lead by example. The mental side of the sport is pretty tough, and we go through these long spells. For me, probably the biggest thing I have to work on is when the spells are long and the droughts are bad, keeping morale up –or keeping my morale up. I’ve learned here lately that when I’m on point and my morale is high, the rest of the race team is hitting on all eight cylinders. So, that’s going to be key going in there, and I’m sure they know that.

“From a company standpoint, the ability to bring ideas, communicate them, maybe sort some things differently than how they’ve been doing it … to get in there and dig and put your hands on it and say, OK, let’s tweak this or move that. Or maybe this person is better at this, so let’s move that strength over here. Those are things that I’m looking forward to getting in there and trying to take a swing at and help the company overall.”

Busch has been winless since 2023, which was his first season with Childress. The organization has won two races over the last two seasons.