Amid the ongoing feud between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, top NASCAR personalities in the sport are weighing in. Hamlin seems to have broad support, though many also empathize with Busch’s reaction.

For Kevin Harvick, Busch’s reaction was completely understandable. And maybe even a little… tame?

“I didn’t take Denny’s comments as bad,” Harvick said on the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast. “If I was Kyle I would have taken them how Kyle took them. I’d have been pissed. I’d have probably run him over on the racetrack at some point, like we did at Dover way back when. But I react differently to things.

“I like both the guys now. I like Denny Hamlin and I like Kyle Busch. But 2006? Probably would have smashed him.”

One of the biggest differences between now and when Harvick was racing is the proliferation of podcasts and mediums where drivers can speak freely. Denny Hamlin started things with some relatively innocuous comments about Busch’s current driving form on his podcast.

“I think that Denny delivered it pretty bluntly on his podcast,” Harvick said. “I think he gave a little more in-depth of what he thinks of Kyle on the pre-race show and the things that he said. And, look, the situation with Kyle is tough, with where they are from a performance standpoint.

“Denny also said the exact same thing that we all think: We want to see Kyle Busch win. Kyle Busch winning is good for the sport. Kyle Busch isn’t going to win right now because the cars aren’t running good. Kyle Busch is still capable of driving those cars. Two, three years ago he was winning in the Gen 7 car.”

But that outlook implies that there are things that must happen before Busch can get back to winning. That’s what Denny Hamlin was getting at, to some extent.

Can Busch be a force for change within RCR? He needs to be.

“I don’t know where it is,” Harvick said. “You have no idea where it is until you see Kyle in a competitive car. But right now we’re going to see if Kyle’s leadership skills are there, to be the leader of RCR to help get the cars back to where they need to be.

“Richard Childress is going to ask, ‘What do we do? What do you think?’ And not scared to make changes. So it’s going to be an interesting situation.”

As for Denny Hamlin? Well, Harvick isn’t one who would take to the podcast medium during his driving days.

Of course, the irony is that now Harvick is opining just like Hamlin and others. He has his own podcast. But as a driver? It creates a lot of new wrinkles.

“I don’t think I’d have a podcast,” Harvick said. “That’s a tough balance, and Denny balances all these things amongst all the things that he does. Team ownership, podcast, and he can set them aside. He can run over his own car to try to win a race. He can give his opinion on the podcast.

“So that’s a tough balance, and sometimes unnecessary consequences and pressure that he probably doesn’t need to deal with. But he chooses it. He has good opinions. He’s very relevant in the sport and up to speed on teams and racing and he’s not afraid to give his opinion. And he’s not afraid to deal with it.”