FORT WORTH, Texas — During a question-and-answer session with reporters on Friday afternoon, Austin Dillon made a comment about Richard Childress Racing teammate Kyle Busch that raised eyebrows.

“I talked to Kyle, and his next win is going to be the biggest of his career, if you think of it the right way,” Dillon said.

That’s a bold assertion, given that Busch has amassed 63 NASCAR Cup Series victories during a career that has consumed more than two decades and produced two Cup championships. The list includes victories in such Crown Jewel events as the Brickyard 400 and Coca-Cola 600.

However, Busch is currently in the throes of a winless streak that reached 103 races last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. That’s what prompted the comment from Dillon, who has a vested interest in the organization founded by his grandfather, Richard Childress.

“All the stuff that has been said and brought up over this year, I feel like if he puts his head down and takes that team back to Victory Lane, that’s going to be the biggest win of his career,” Dillon said.

“So, that’s what we’re all fighting for. We want to see that. As a competitor, that’s what I’d like to see.”

Busch won three races in 2023, his first season with RCR and the second year of NASCAR’s Gen 7 race car. His victory at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on June 4, 2023 was his most recent.

After a barren first 10 races of 2026, RCR announced a crew chief change on Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet, with Andy Street replacing Jim Pohlman in that vital role.

“We’ve got to put the train back on the tracks and have a direction of what we need to do in order to be able to go forward,” Busch said after finishing second in Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

“I feel like the 3 car (Dillon) has done a good job of that lately. Those guys are clicking on all cylinders and making things look good for them, and we’ve got to be able to do the same so we can carry our weight and help improve the program.”

CHRIS BUESCHER HOPES TO END JINX AT HIS HOME TRACK

To say Texan Chris Buescher has been snakebit in his home state is putting it mildly.

In 16 starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Buescher has never scored a top 10. He has led just two of the 5,006 laps he has run at the 1.5-mile intermediate speedway. His average finish is 21.9.

Nevertheless, Buescher frequently has shown speed at Texas, and he’s looking for a breakthrough in Sunday’s Wurth 400 Presented by LIQUI MOLY (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“We’ve had more tire failures here than any other race track,” Buescher said. “Early on, we came here and had speed, but we were still understanding the new (Gen 7) car, the sensitivities to having tire blowouts.

“We’ve had days here when we’ve been pretty good, and it’s started drizzling–the great fog from five or six years ago, right? Unfortunately, I was the one who found the moisture that ended the race for three days before we got back going…

“You go through the years here, and I feel like we’ve had very few days here where we haven’t been competitive, but, man, the stats don’t show that. I hope we fix that this go-round–I think we can.”

CHALLENGING TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY HAS FEW MASTERS

Perhaps the most telling statistic relative to the difficulty of Texas Motor Speedway is the active streak of top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile track.

Daniel Suarez leads the category with three straight top 10s. Austin Dillon has two. No other NASCAR Cup Series driver has more than one.

“That’s not very long,” Suarez said with a laugh. “We’ll take the small victories, right? It’s just very tricky. It doesn’t take a lot for you to crash or get out of the groove. I love it, though. I think it’s a great race track.

“I would say that five, eight years ago, more drivers used to hate this track, but right now, the race track is getting to a point where it’s not a brand new race track anymore. It’s tough. There are some bumps. It’s getting some wear. So, it’s a lot of fun.”

The consensus among Cup drivers is that passing is difficult at Texas because of the narrow nature of the racing line. Suarez doesn’t see it that way.

“I think it’s already to the point where we have two-and-a-half lanes in (Turns) 1 and 2 and maybe two or two-and-a-quarter lanes in 3 and 4,” Suarez said. “I think it’s getting wider every single year, so that’s positive.”

PIT CREW IS A CONSISTENT ASSET FOR JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK

For the past two seasons, John Hunter Nemechek’s pit crew has been a consistent presence at LEGACY Motor Club.

“We have some new guys and also some veteran guys,” Nemechek said on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway. “I think my front tire changer Scottie (Brzozowski), I think pitted for my dad (Joe Nemechek) back in the early 2000’s. He’s been changing tires for 20 plus years and still (has) some of the best metrics as far as tire changers go.”

In fact, Brzozowski was a mainstay at Hendrick Motorsports, where he changed tires for both Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 team and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to have a group of guys like that,” Nemechek said of his crew. “It’s the same group that I’ve had the last two years as well. We took everything in-house, I think it was ‘25. I think that was when we started taking everything in-house.”

— By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer left Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Twins in the third inning when he was hit on the left foot by a pitch from Connor Prielipp.

Springer went down in pain after he was hit by an 88.2 mph slider and was replaced by pinch runner Jesus Sanchez.

Springer, who led off the game with a line drive out to center field, had just returned this week from the injured list after he fractured his left big toe on a foul ball April 11.

In 18 games this season, Springer is batting .212 with two home runs and seven RBIs. In 1,462 career games, he is a .266 hitter with 295 home runs and 803 RBIs over 13 seasons for the Houston Astros (2014-20) and Blue Jays.

–Field Level Media

With how even the teams are and how close their head-to-head showdown has been, it is appropriate the Tampa Bay Lightning will play host to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday in a Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round Stanley Cup playoff series.

After both clubs finished the regular season with 106 points, the Lightning and Canadiens have both scored the same number of goals (14), both won twice in overtime and both won two of three road games in the first six instalments of the series.

“I’m 14 years in the league and I’ve been in a number of Game 7s. Some that I can be man enough today to say we weren’t as good as the other team and some we were as good as the other team,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “This one here … it’s so even, special teams, goaltending, everything. To win this, you’ve got to have a special game against the other team.”

The winner will face the Buffalo Sabres in the next round.

The teams face a challenging encore after a thrilling 1-0 Lightning victory in overtime of Game 6. Both goaltenders were sensational while the clubs traded scoring chances before Tampa’s Gage Goncalves scored his first career playoff overtime winner.

Now, a new chapter beckons. Not only does Tampa Bay have home-ice advantage, but also the upper-hand with its experience. Many core Lightning players have won multiple Stanley Cup titles, including the 2021 championship when the Lightning beat the Canadiens in the Final.

“This is what we all dream about,” Lightning forward Jake Guentzel said. “I’m fortunate to have played in a couple and there’s nothing better. Especially at home, it’s going to be an electric atmosphere. I can’t wait.”

The Canadiens, who went through a rebuild right after that run to the final, boast a more youthful lineup, and one that headed into the season knowing a brighter future for the franchise is still ahead.

However, after pushing the Eastern Conference first-round series to the distance, the attitude has become about making a mark now. All six games have been decided by one goal as the Canadiens have shown they are worthy opponents for the more-heralded Lightning.

“We’re not here for a ribbon. We want to move on,” coach Martin St. Louis said on Saturday before his team headed to Florida. “We worked to get to this spot. Playing Tampa in the first round, you know you’re gonna need everything and we’ve delivered that. It’s a good spot to be in. I think the guys have enjoyed the process and are hungry to keep moving forward.”

A major task for the Canadiens will be regrouping. Montreal was staring at a golden chance to advance but could not find the winning goal.

Even in overtime, the Canadiens failed to convert on a power play just before the winner. Turning the page, instead of spending time think of a missed opportunity, will be a big key.

“It’s hard to close out a series. I’ve never been in this position. A lot of guys haven’t been in this position,” said Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson. “It would have been cool to do it at home, but we have another chance to do it in Tampa.”

–Field Level Media