Shocking Catalyst for Kyle Busch’s JGR Exit Could Potentially Fill in Grandfather’s Shoes

Kyle Busch stunned the racing community when he left Joe Gibbs Racing. After 15 years and 2 Cup championships, Busch was on the lookout for another team to reestablish his former dominance. At the same time, Richard Childress was searching for a race-winning star to revive his team’s former glory. But it took more than just fate to allure the prolific racer.

The 78-year-old’s racing lineage hid a budding entrepreneur who played a key role in Kyle Busch’s switch to Richard Childress Racing this season. And he might become the next face of RCR.

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s insider claimed RCR’s B-Level driver should take over from Richard Childress

In the recent episode of the Dale Jr. Download, Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. invited RCR driver Austin Hill on his podcast. That prompted Dale Jr. to ponder the future of Kyle Busch’s team. The veteran driver mused, “Richard’s not going to be around forever. Somebody needs to sort of be preparing themselves to continue RCR beyond Richard Childress.” Junior’s associate, Mike Davis, responded with startling behind-the-scenes information about the racing team.

It turns out that it was none other than Richard Childress’ grandson, Austin Dillon, who played a major role in bringing Kyle Busch over to RCR. Davis revealed, “Let me tell you for me when it started to become a little evident, and that was in the acquisition of Kyle Busch over from what I hear from public statements. Austin Dillon was the one who helped move that along.” This discovery made Davis see the young Dillon in a new light. “That was the first time for me and probably for a lot of other people just to go, ‘Maybe he’s the guy that could be the business guy’.”

Mike Davis then wondered about Austin Dillon’s future as a racer. “You would love to have a stable full of A-list drivers winning 2-3-4 races a year. Kyle Busch is an A-list driver. How realistic is it to have a stable full of A-listers? To me, Austin Dillon has been a good B-level driver for an organization. He’s won Dayton 500, he’s competitive, he’s got years that were not so good but depending on a charter, depending on whether they go at a 3rd team, what would Austin Dillon be looking like for the next 4-5 years?” 

For Mike Davis, only one career path made sense for Austin Dillon. Davis declared, “Who is going to be the next face or the next guy at Richard Childress Racing…Austin Dillon!” But if Dillon stopped racing, RCR would need another driver as Kyle Busch’s teammate. Dale Earnhardt Jr already had a candidate in mind.

Watch this story: Kyle Busch’s Unexpected Turn and Dale Jr’s Take

Kyle Busch might have a different Austin as his Cup Series teammate in the future

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Currently, Kyle Busch largely bears the mantle of RCR’s Cup standing. Despite his elimination in the Round of 12, the #8 driver won three races this year and registered 10 Top 5 finishes. Austin Dillon, on the other hand, has a lone Top 5 finish on Bristol’s dirt track this year. But it looks like Austin Hill has still kept RCR’s championship hopes alive in the Xfinity series. With the announcement of ARCA Menards Series champion Jesse Love’s inclusion in the Xfinity squad next season, this would be the perfect opportunity for Hill’s Cup move.

After observing the #21 driver as the rival team owner of JR Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr could only be impressed with his talent. Dale Jr said, “Curious to see what he [Austin Hill] can do in the Cup Series.”  Moreover, Junior was in agreement with Mike Davis over Austin Dillon’s business acumen. Dale Jr claimed, “If there is a path for Austin Dillon to become the face of RCR in the same vein that Richard Childress is the face of that organization, I would be looking for that exit ramp if I was Austin [Dillon].”

Read More: Is Kyle Busch in the Playoffs?

As far as Dillon’s #3 car was concerned, Dale Jr proposed an alternative in the form of Austin Hill. “While Austin [Dillon] has plenty of great years racing cars, they got a great little race car driver there that can take over that cup car for Richard [Childress and Austin [Dillon].”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. envisioned a scenario in which Kyle Busch and Austin Hill would race for RCR’s Cup Series title while Austin Dillon brings in a fresh perspective as the new generation team owner. One can only wonder what Richard Childress would think about that.