Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch
Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch’s war of words appears to just be getting started as rising tensions online could soon boil over onto the track.
Over the last week, Hamlin and Busch have exchanged a flurry of verbal jabs after the No. 11 Toyota driver made several damning comments about his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate.
On an episode of his ‘Actions Detrimental’ podcast, Hamlin questioned if Busch still has what it takes to regularly win races in the Cup Series. The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion stands as the all-time leader in total NASCAR national series victories while holding the record for the most wins in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series – formerly known as Xfinity Series – and Craftsman Truck Series.
“Things are not going well in the Kyle Busch camp,” Hamlin conceded. “So we just have to be honest about our expectations. And if you’re expecting Kyle Busch to just go back to victory lane on a regular basis, you’re kidding yourselves and you’re going to be very disappointed.
“I just think that until we change cars or something changes; something has to change, I don’t know what. I have no idea. I’m not in his shoes, I’m not his crew chief, I’m not his engineer, I’m not his team owner. I’m not in the weeds. I’m just a podcaster that happens to be on the racetrack around him, and I can just say that it’s just not working. I don’t have the answers, and we need to just live in this reality for the time being.”
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Kyle Busch threatened to ‘run into’ Denny Hamlin on the track after his verbal jab (Image: Getty)
That being said, Hamlin heralded Busch as a “Hall of Fame Mount Rushmore driver” before expressing sympathy for the 40-year-old’s struggles as of late. “Man, I hate seeing it, because Kyle is a competitor who hates losing,” he concluded.
Busch didn’t take kindly to Hamlin’s remarks, swiftly clapping back at the 45-year-old for “running his mouth” and claiming he was “washed.” Speaking to reporters at Kansas Speedway, he said: “If Denny wants to switch cars, I’ll switch cars with him. Any day of the week, any time.
“I’d love for him to show me that he can carry it better than I can. … I have consumed some of it over time. Eighty percent, people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. In this instance, I don’t know that Denny Hamlin even knows what the hell he’s talking about. He can bash me all he wants. I can certainly make his life hell.”
Busch later offered to settle their beef on race day while threatening to run Hamlin off the track, adding: “He’s got his own podcast and he’s been running his mouth lately so he might get run into again here soon…He’s been telling me that I’m washed up and can’t drive anymore.”
Sure enough, Busch did little to help Hamlin’s cause during last week’s AdventHealth 400, which Tyler Reddick emerged victorious in. While running four laps down with 27 laps left in regulation, the Richard Childress Racing driver fought Hamlin – the race leader – in a side-by-side battle for nearly one lap before letting him pass.
Upon catching wind of Busch’s earlier comments, Hamlin questioned why he was so angry with him. “Not really sure what I’m supposed to do,” Hamlin wrote on X. “I host a podcast and I have to answer questions about relevant topics. Should I just say I dunno, everything seems fine to me? Not sure where he felt I ‘bashed.’ I’m walking a damn tight rope here.”
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