Matt Johnson
Richard Childress Racing and the NASCAR community are still reeling from the sudden passing of Kyle Busch. As Richard Childress now attempts to move the team forward for the rest of the season, one decision faced is who will drive the No. 33 car full-time.
During a press conference on Saturday, Childress announced that the team plans to have Austin Hill drive the No. 33 car for the remainder of the Cup Series season.
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“Right now we’re looking at the rest of the season.”
Richard Childress on planning to run Austin Hill in the No. 33 car for RCR (via Jeff Gluck)
The press conference was an especially painful one for Childress. He shared that RCR had a contract extension in place with Kyle Busch prior to his passing and intended on announcing it ahead of this weekend’s race in Michigan.
Following Busch’s passing, the team was in the same position it was decades earlier following the passing of Dale Earnhardt. Hill ran the first race in the No. 33 car following Busch’s death and the expectation was that he’d remain in the ride for the remainder of the season.
For the 32-year-old, it will mean running double duty in both the Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for the remainder of the season. With NASCAR less than halfway through its season, Hill will run more Cup races in 2026 than he has in any previous season.
It answers one big uncertainty for RCR, with the big question now who will be the team’s second full-time driver in the Cup Series next season. Depending on how Hill fares, he may ultimately be the best option.
