Kyle Busch could be set for some passionate spats with his NASCAR crew chief in 2026, according to the man himself.

Whilst Busch will remain a Richard Childress Racing driver next season, there has been some significant movement within his No. 8 team - the exit of his now former crew chief Randall Burnett.

Before the end of the 2025 season, Burnett confirmed that he would be joining Trackhouse Racing for next season and beyond to crew chief rising star Connor Zilisch.

RCR later announced that Justin Allgaier's Xfinity Series championship-winning crew chief, Jim Pohlman, will be the man to replace Burnett next year, despite never having crew-chiefed in the Cup Series before.

Pohlman predicts clashes with Busch

Of course, the pair are still weeks away from starting to work together, but in a sneak preview of next season, Pohlman is predicting that it will not always be a smooth ride.

In an interview with Racer, Pohlman admits he expects to clash with Busch and that there might be some spats between them, such is the level of passion that they both have for the sport, as he looks to guide the two-time Cup Series champion back to winning ways.

“We’re probably a lot alike,” Pohlman explained. "I haven’t seen his analytical chart as to how his personality is, but having done the crew chief role and reading people, I would say we’re probably identical.

"There might be some spats, I’m not going to lie," he warned.

Pohlman continued: “He’s passionate. I’m passionate. The end goal is that he wants to win races, and he wants to win races at RCR, and he was crystal clear about that.”

Pohlman: Hard to leave JRM role

As excited as he is to be working with Busch, Pohlman has also revealed how difficult a decision it was to leave Allgaier and the No. 7 crew at JR Motorsports.

Speaking back in October after the announcement was made, Pohlman told NASCAR.com: “Justin is the guy that put me on the map. Without JRM, this opportunity doesn’t exist.

"It’s very hard to leave Justin; he’s a great friend and has been a friend for a long time. We’ve won an ARCA championship, we’ve won an Xfinity championship – hopefully, we’re going to win two. To walk away from the possibility of winning three in a row was very heavy on my mind.

“The goal for me has always been to race on Sunday and make it to that level and have an opportunity to win Daytona 500s and win at the highest level. It’s a great opportunity, and I’m certainly looking forward to it.”