​Richard Childress Racing suddenly faced the daunting task of finding a new full-time Cup Series driver for next season after the shock passing of its future Hall of Famer. While RCR still has months to decide who will occupy the second chartered car beside Kyle Busch’s replacement, a clear favorite has emerged in discussions and rumors. This week, NASCAR Rumors & Nostalgia indicated that “all signs currently point to” Austin Hill remaining the driver of the No. 33 full-time in the Cup Series for next season with RCR.
When Busch was hospitalized, Hill was named as the fill-in driver for the No. 8 car. Following the sudden death, the team retired Busch’s car number and announced that Hill would pilot the No. 33 for the remainder of the 2026 Cup Series season. For this season, including the upcoming race at EchoPark Speedway, Hill has been balancing duties between the Cup Series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, though he does not accumulate Cup points.
At 32 going into next season, Hill has not excelled in his limited Cup starts. He has just one top-10 finish in 24 Cup appearances, and his current Cup average finish sits at 28.1, placing him slightly ahead of Cody Ware (28.7) and behind Connor Zilisch (27.6). While Jesse Love was considered a potential option, the Richard Childress Racing development driver opted to sign with Wood Brothers Racing to take over the No. 21 seat next season in the Cup Series, replacing Josh Berry.
For RCR, the pool of truly strong alternatives remains small. Much of the speculation from NASCAR’s silly season earlier in the year has cooled, with many potential candidates re-signing with their existing teams and little movement otherwise evident. As for the No. 33’s Cup duties, the team is leaning on Hill as the odds-on favorite to continue in that role beyond this season, with the hope that more focused preparation and continued exposure to the Next Gen car will translate into improved results in 2027.
Looking ahead, the plan for Hill to step back into the Cup Series full-time next year hinges on whether RCR can secure a reliable second car occupant as soon as possible, while also leveraging Brown and Chandler Smith as potential future opportunities in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The organization appears intent on giving Hill a clean slate to refine his Cup performance with additional seat time and a more dedicated focus, in the expectation that his development may yield stronger results once the team shifts its attention fully to Cup competition in the upcoming season.