Why Kyle Busch going to Richard Childress Racing is drawing Dale Earnhart comparisons

Wearing a brown dress jacket, a light button-down shirt and dark jeans, Kyle Busch sat behind a microphone and addressed a room filled with motorsports media members at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

The topic wasn’t a surprise, but more about closure. After some opening remarks, Busch confirmed he will be joining team owner Richard Childress and RCR Enterprises in Welcome, North Carolina, at the start of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. The multi-year agreement places him in the No. 8 Chevrolet with several primary sponsors to be named at a later date.

The two-time Cup Series champion stated that it was one of the most important decisions of his life that took time to work out. The 37-year-old superstar is destined to add more championships as well as to the six Cup titles won for RCR by the late Dale Earnhardt.

On this day, he was more relaxed than he had been in months. Most importantly, he could look to the future with optimism about winning races and have fun again winning races.

“I had to find a place where I knew I can go win races immediately,” Busch said. “Collecting trophies is still the main reason why I get up every day and go to the race track. In order to do this every week, I also needed a place where I felt like I could hit reset, and I could be welcome just as I am. This change will allow for a clean slate and that’s big for me and my family. New team, new teammates, most importantly, a new boss who accepts where I’ve been, and yet can help me get to where I want to be.”

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Busch has left Toyota to return to Chevrolet, the auto manufacturer that he started with when he came to the Cup Series with Hendrick Motorsports in 2004. Busch’s first four wins in the Cup Series came driving a Chevrolet for Rick Hendrick from 2005-07. In all, Busch has 21 wins driving Chevrolets across the three NASCAR national series.

Busch’s style of driving has often been compared to Earnhardt, the winner of 76 Cup Series races and seven-time champion. Earnhardt lost his life on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 while driving for RCR Enterprises. Twenty years later, Busch’s union with RCR gives the organization the swagger once felt when Earnhardt won championships from 1986 through 1994. There were rumblings of an eighth title in the winter months before the start of 2001 season began and then Earnhardt died in the crash while running third behind race winner Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the dream was lost amid shock and disbelief.

Busch raced 15 seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing, winning Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. As news broke that Busch’s negotiations with JGR were slowing by mid-July, Austin Dillon, Childress’ grandson and driver of the RCR Enterprises No. 3 Chevrolet, floated the idea of talking with Busch informally about coming to the family operation. Childress said it would be a “dream” to have Busch become one of their drivers.

A conversation over a couple of glasses of wine at Childress’ winery in Lexington took place, agreements were made, and contracts were drawn. Something big was about to happen, just like in 1981 when Childress left the driver’s seat to make room for a young rookie named Earnhardt.

Timing was everything. Busch and Childress had to remain silent, at least for a while until all the complicated pieces were in place. Childress would walk through the RCR shops and employees would ask if Busch was coming. He couldn’t say. Busch would be asked time after time by the media about the rumors and he would have to pretend he had nothing to talk about. Both were careful to let nothing slip. Behind the scenes, team officials and Busch’s representatives were buttoning up final touches. Lawyers were overnighting final drafts. Everything was set. Childress caught himself thinking of the Earnhardt years all over again.

“Kyle has won two championships in the Cup division and over 200 races in NASCAR. His credentials speak well for himself,” Childress said. “When Kyle and I first started talking about championships, and we talked about winning races, I looked at him in his eye, I saw that same look in Dale Earnhardt’s eye, I said, ‘He’s hungry. We’re going to win.’ I’ve seen that look before. I’ve watched his talent for many years … just how he handles a car, the car control, his take-no-prisoners attitude, that’s the Dale Earnhardt style that I was accustomed to racing with and I think Kyle has that modern-day style of racing Dale Earnhardt had in his time.”

Busch looked over at Childress as he spoke, taking in his words in amazement.

“It’s certainly flattering, and it’s happened a lot over the years,” Busch said. “Certainly, to hear it from RC. Obviously, he was the closest to him. RC being a racer himself and putting on a helmet himself over the years and knowing what it’s like to get behind the wheel and know the elements and know success and go out there and achieve success. It’s flattering and a great honor. Dale Earnhardt, though, is Dale Earnhardt and there’s only one of those. (Laughter) and there’s probably only one Kyle Busch.

During one-on-one breakout interviews, Busch was asked about driving the No. 3 car. He replied with a smile, “I may or may not have asked about driving the 3. Then I let it go after that.”

At Busch’s right arm sat a gold Rolex watch that Childress called Busch’s signing bonus. It was a gift given in reference to a scuffle following a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in 2011 at Kansas Speedway due to rising tensions after on-track incidents with then-RCR drivers Kevin Harvick and Joey Coulter. Childress told an assistant to hold his Rolex while he punched Busch, prompting a hefty $150,000 fine by NASCAR. Busch and Childress agree they’ve matured, and all is in the past.

When negotiating with teams, Busch said he wanted to be between “X” and “Y”, and if “Z” was on the table, then Busch said he was ready to go. The “Z” could’ve come in the form of Childress announcing a “future contract option” for Brexton Busch, the 7-year-old son of Kyle and his wife Samantha.

Childress added with a smile, “That contract was pretty easy so far.”

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Kyle Busch to Richard Childress Racing draws Dale Earnhardt comparison