Will Kyle Busch’s Success Help or Hurt Austin Dillon?

Will Kyle Busch’s early NASCAR Cup Series success with Richard Childress Racing help or hurt Austin Dillon?

Steve Leffew: Kyle Busch’s success will undoubtedly help Austin Dillon. Dillon has proven himself capable of putting together seasons strong enough to make the playoffs and of running near the front often enough to take advantage of circumstances to win a race about every other year. With guys like Ryan Newman or Tyler Reddick, Dillon may have still had a case for being the alpha on the team. But by playing an active or even leading role in bringing in Busch, Dillon made it very clear he is comfortable serving as a role player.

All great teams need good role players. Busch is going to improve RCR from top to bottom, and Dillon will progress and improve due to Busch’s feedback on the cars and his expertise as one of the greatest drivers of his generation. They have a good relationship, and Dillon wouldn’t have recruited him if he wasn’t comfortable being the clear No. 2 driver.

Bubba Wallace saw great growth during 2022 while being a teammate of Kurt Busch, and Dillon will see a sort of career renaissance this year due to the improvement that will come with having Kyle Busch as a teammate.

Zach Gillispie: RCR is the championship favorite. Go ahead, ridicule this statement. I’m serious. There is something about Busch that just fits the Childress mold: a heroic, battle-hardened, Davy Crockett-like figure ready to rile up his rough-n-tumble troops to defend the Alamo. “OORAH,” he shouts. Childress has the horses ready. Their riders (or drivers, depending upon how you look at things) have taken the reigns. 2023 is waiting, so watch out.

You will thank me later when Busch and Dillon are riding off into that championship sunset post-Phoenix Raceway as immaculate rays of orange emblazon the silhouettes of the two victorious cattlemen, and George Strait’s “The Cowboy Rides Away” plays softly in the background.

Amy Henderson: That could depend on how similar their driving styles and setup preferences are. If they’re close and Busch continues to find the speed he had at Auto Club Speedway, Dillon can definitely use the information from Busch for his benefit.

Dillon advocated for Busch to join RCR, but he’s never been paired with a teammate of Busch’s level, and it will be interesting to see how their relationship develops. Busch will be the star of Dillon’s grandfather’s team, so some resentment…