NASCAR Cup Series
Kyle Busch Racks Up Third Win of 2023 Season in Dominant Performance at Gateway
Jun 5, 2023
Following Kyle Busch’s third win of the season, car owner Richard Childress joined Racing America’s “The Bullring” to discuss Busch’s hot start upon joining the team and much more.
On Sunday, Busch took the checkered flag in the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. It is Busch’s third win in his first season at Richard Childress Racing, following victories at Auto Club Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
The union between Busch and the Richard Childress Racing team has been a strong one, and Childress believes part of that is due to how seamlessly Busch has integrated into the team behind the scenes.
“I just feel that Kyle feels at home here,” said Childress. “We’re a good family, a big family, and we welcomed him and Samantha and Brexton, the whole family, into our family. He fits in well with our guys.
“He’s a neat guy to work with. I enjoy working with him. He’s a totally different person than you’d think when you get a chance to spend some time with him and talk about other things and other issues.”
I just feel that Kyle feels at home here. We’re a good family, a big family, and we welcomed him and Samantha and Brexton, the whole family, into our family.
Childress also discussed his optimism for the future of NASCAR. Even while teams navigate the early years of the Next Gen format and with a new TV contract for the series on the horizon, Childress has plenty of reason for hope that NASCAR is trending in a positive direction.
“I just see so much growth left in the sport. Our new TV contract is going to change a lot in our sport, depending on who we get and where they take us. I know NASCAR is working on the right key media partners to bring in. That will be one of the big deals, where we go with that.
“This car, we just need to quit making changes on it and let us race it. We need two or three years of the same stuff so we can build it, get it out and get it going. It’s a great car that puts on a great show. I’m excited about it.”
Childress is also excited to see what future schedules look like for NASCAR's top series moving forward. He expects plenty of new scenery in the coming years.
“I talked to [NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Development and Strategy] Ben Kennedy, and he didn’t say where we were going. He just said the schedule’s going to look totally different than it does today. I’m pretty excited to see what they have up their sleeve. We’ve got Chicago, we’ve got all these different tracks. Don’t be surprised if we may be at a dirt track, some other dirt track.”
When Busch announced he was joining Richard Childress Racing last September, it was noted that Austin Dillon, Childress’ grandson and the driver of the No. 3 car in the NASCAR Cup Series, played a pivotal role in bringing Busch to RCR.
Austin Dillon is also heavily involved in another venture of Childress’ away from the race track, the Carolina Cowboys. Childress is the owner and operator of the team in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Team Series, with Dillon as General Manager of the team.
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The team’s second season will be underway later this summer, and Childress has high hopes for the year.
“Austin’s our General Manager, and he’s done a phenomenal job. He just amazes me. On this draft, the PBR is in teams now, more than just one person.”
“We just signed Sage Kimzey, who is a seven-time champion. We’ve got Josh Frost, who is kin to Lane Frost, who was a great rider. We hired two Brazilians [Sandro Batista and Daniel Feitosa], one won the Brazilian championship and the other finished second to him.
“We also have Boudreaux Campbell, Daylon Swearingen, Cooper Davis. We’ve got a lineup that’s unbelievable next year. We’re just all excited about what we’ll be doing.”
“We’ll be in Greensboro, North Carolina on September 22-24. It’s going to be an amazing show for the Carolina Cowboys.”
Fans can click here to watch this week's full episode of "The Bullring." The show airs on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. ET, with on-demand replays available afterward.
-Photo credit: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
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