Richard Childress announced that the current plan is for Austin Hill to continue driving the No. 33 Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Childress made his first public comments on Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway since the sudden passing of Kyle Busch on May 21.
“Austin is going to drive it, as far as we’re concerned, the rest of the year,” Childress told reporters. “We don’t want to put a burden back on anybody.”
The same partners that were on the No. 8 Chevrolet will be featured on the No. 33 car moving forward with Hill in 2026. It’s similar to 2001 when GM Goodwrench transitioned to the No. 29 entry with Kevin Harvick after the death of Dale Earnhardt.
“Our sponsors have been great to work with and work through this, just like we had with Dale,” Childress added. “Sponsors worked really good with us through that loss. Putting Austin Hill in it was the choice we made.”
Childress mentioned that Richard Childress Racing was originally set to announce Busch’s extension with the organization through 2027 with brass from General Motors at Michigan. When talking two nights before Busch’s passing, Childress recalled Busch saying if the cars unloading at the race track were anything similar to the three races prior – Texas Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen International and Dover Motor Speedway – that the No. 8 team could make a push towards The Chase.
Childress, having worked with many elite drivers during his tenure as a car owner, knows Busch was among the best.
“Kyle will go down as one of the greatest race car drivers that has ever been,” Childress said. “He’ll be in the Hall of Fame. I’d love to see him put in it right away.”