Austin Hill will drive No. 33 RCR car for remainder of 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season
· Yahoo Sports
Austin Hill will drive in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for the rest of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, team owner Richard Childress said on June 6 at Michigan.
Visit sportbet.rodeo for more information.
Hill has filled in for the last couple races in the No. 33 after the death of Kyle Busch last month. Busch died on May 21 from complications of pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.
Hill, 32, had made occasional starts in a part-time RCR Cup Series entry over the last three seasons to go along with a full-time O'Reilly Auto Parts Series ride. Jesse Love is RCR's other full-time ORAPS driver, but the organization picked Hill to fill the seat.
"For right now, Austin is going to drive — as far as we're concerned — the rest of the year," Childress said. "We don't want to put a burden back on everybody trying to go from one driver to the other."
Hill earned a pair of 27th-place finishes in his first two Cup Series starts with the team heading into this weekend's race at Michigan.
RCR decided to change the No. 8 car number to the No. 33 in respect of Busch after he worked with the team to create the number design when he joined the team in 2023. The No. 8 style and number is being saved for Busch's son Brexton "if (Brexton) wants to run it" when he gets older, Childress said.
Childress opened his media availability, his first since Busch's death, by stating that the team's original plans during the Michigan race weekend were to announce that Busch would return in 2027.
"Kyle will go down in history as one of the greatest race drivers that's ever been," Childress said. "He'll be in the Hall of Fame, and I'd love to see them put him in it right away. He helped RCR when we needed it."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Austin Hill will drive No. 33 RCR car for rest of 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season