A few weeks ago, Denny Hamlin admitted that Kyle Busch had helped him hone his skills on intermediate tracks when they were teammates. It seems Busch is offering similar mentoring at Richard Childress Racing. Austin Dillon recently credited him for the crucial role he played in elevating his team’s overall performance.
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Although Busch’s winless streak has touched 70 races, he remains one of the sport’s most accomplished drivers. However, the 40-year-old hasn’t been able to replicate the dominance from his younger days in the Next Gen era. Busch is seeking a resurgence while also helping his younger teammates.
At the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, Busch finished 15th and Dillon came home 20th. After the race, the grandson of Richard Childress offered insight into the veteran driver’s impact on the team.
“Yeah, I feel like he gives you what you expect, which is that he’s a hard worker,” Dillon said, emphasizing that Busch is focused on helping the RCR cars reach Victory Lane. Not only does Busch push himself to the limit, but he also holds his team accountable, constantly seeking ways to improve.
“As far as being in the meetings with him after practice and on Mondays and the debriefs, he’s very helpful,” Dillon added, before elaborating on Busch’s knack for asking the right questions at the right time and his ability to dissect data, which aids the team immensely.
“You couldn’t ask for a more helpful teammate when it comes to his knowledge of the game and what he is providing from an informational standpoint,” said Dillon.
Currently, Busch is P18 and Dillon P24 in the points standings. While Busch’s season highlights include a top-five finish at COTA, where he led 42 laps but came up short on the final lap, and three other top-10 results, Dillon has managed three top-10 finishes of his own.
Whether Busch can snap his winless streak remains to be seen. But his influence at RCR is something that’s proving invaluable for the team.
