Richard Childress has revealed that he was planning to announce a contract extension for Kyle Busch during the FireKeepers Casino 400 weekend at Michigan.
Instead, the Richard Childress Racing owner found himself discussing plans that were never publicly revealed following Busch's recent death.
Childress said the new deal would have kept the two-time Cup Series champion with the team through the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Speaking at Michigan International Speedway, Childress revealed that the original purpose of the weekend media appearance had been to confirm Busch's future with Richard Childress Racing.
Instead, the event became an opportunity to reflect on a partnership that was expected to continue beyond the current contract.
Speaking to NASCAR.com , Childress explained what had been planned for the FireKeepers Casino 400 weekend.
"The hardest of this is today we were going to be in here, Kyle was going to be with me, and we were going to announce that he was coming back in '27 and drive for RCR.
"We wanted to do it up here at Michigan with GM friends with Chevrolet, and it didn't happen. This is a different type of media availability, instead of a press conference, that he was coming back and racing for us in '27."
Childress indicated the extension plans had moved beyond preliminary discussions and were ready to be announced publicly.
Rather than unveiling a new deal alongside his driver, Childress instead found himself discussing a future that had already been agreed behind the scenes.
Childress also shared details from one of his final conversations with Busch, explaining that both remained optimistic about the direction of the No. 8 team despite a challenging start to the season.
"You give me cars like you gave me the last three weeks, I will make the Chase this year. We were that confident."
The exchange highlighted the belief both Busch and Childress had in the team's recent progress. They felt improvements in performance had positioned the organization to challenge for a playoff berth during the second half of the season.
According to Childress, the proposed extension was not simply recognition of Busch's accomplishments. It was also a reflection of the confidence both sides shared in the team's future and its ability to remain competitive.
The Michigan announcement never took place, but Childress' comments provided a rare insight into how advanced those discussions had become before Busch's death.
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