Another season has passed, and Kyle Busch’s winless streak is still hanging over him. His last win came 93 races ago at Worldwide Technology Raceway in 2023, and he’s struggled to recreate that form.
For a driver sitting on 63 career wins, the 2025 season was especially painful. He did cut a frustrated and desperate figure at times. But with a new mindset and a new crew chief joining the team, there’s reason to believe change is coming.
Who is the New Kyle Busch Crew Chief?
Jim Pohlman has taken over as Busch’s crew chief, and he’s determined to bring the two-time Cup Series champion back in Victory Lane. After steering Justin Allgaier to the Xfinity crown in 2024 and building an impressive track record, Pohlman brings his know-how to Richard Childress Racing.
His mission now is simple: help Rowdy rediscover his winning edge and return to the form fans expect in 2026.
“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. I think I’m most excited about having a future Hall of Fame driver,” Pohlman told Racer.com.
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Pohlman doesn’t mind sharing the big moments from his NASCAR career — after all, the list of things he hasn’t tackled is pretty short. Yet there’s one achievement he always makes sure to mention, and it stands apart from the rest.
“One of the things you can put on there is I won the last World Pit Crew Challenge championship at Rockingham with the [No.] 9 car,” Pohlman tells RACER.
“I call it the last real one because all the ones in the stadium weren’t really the same. We need to bring it back. But, anyway, that was a big pride thing,” he said.
Pohlman brings plenty of know-how to the table, particularly with the Next Gen race car. At Chip Ganassi Racing, he spent an enormous amount of time working on its design and testing, to the point where it became his primary project by late 2020.
That experience proved invaluable when he transitioned to RCR and eventually JR Motorsports.
Working with Busch now, he understands there’s ground to make up, and he welcomes the challenge. Pohlman prides himself on being hands-on and setting the tone himself.
His 15 years at Ganassi, where he moved through R&D and engineering roles during NASCAR’s modern evolution, have shaped him well.
With that experience behind him, he’s more than ready to take on 2026. Still, Pohlman insists on taking it one step at a time.