What might be the better current feud in the NASCAR Cup Series has nothing to do with any run-ins on the racetrack.
Calling it a feud might even be a stretch because it appears one side is mad while the other is probably just confused. Kyle Busch is not happy with Denny Hamlin after the latter spoke about his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate on his podcast Actions Detrimental last Monday (April 13).
“Clearly, RCR [Richard Childress Racing] is not good right now,” Hamlin said on his podcast. “But you’re [Busch] a Hall of Fame, Mount Rushmore driver. … OK, if you’re the greatest, then carry it better than your teammate [Austin Dillon] who’s won [six] races. Find a way. I think that’s what he should be able to do, but it’s not happening.”
Busch currently trails his RCR teammate Dillon by 12 points, with Dillon in 25th and Busch in 27th. Hamlin also said he didn’t believe Busch has learned how to find speed with the Next Gen car, which has brought the Cup field closer together.
“Everyone is so close now, so as a driver, you gotta make up the difference,” Hamlin said.
Busch won three races when he joined RCR in 2023, but he’s gone winless ever since. This year, Busch is off to his worst start in his 22-year Cup career, having not scored a top 10 yet. His best finish is a 12th at Circuit of the Americas. Hamlin also pointed to Busch’s last few years at Gibbs, before he joined RCR, as he only won four races over his last three years at his prior team.
“Kyle Busch, I can’t hold the guy’s helmet, talent-wise, but I just think this is not new,” Hamlin said. “He’s been struggling for five years now. 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.”
Hamlin went on to talk about how Jimmie Johnson went from dominating the series to never winning again, but did say he didn’t like seeing Busch struggle like he has been.
Hamlin never outright said Busch was washed up, but he alluded to it being a possibility. However, nothing he said was that off base, and it didn’t feel like anything would come of those comments. The podcast episode was even titled “Kyle Busch Still Has It … But Something Is Off,” so it didn’t seem like Busch would take offense to any of it.
But when Busch had his media availability this past weekend at Kansas Speedway, he sounded off on Hamlin before The Athletics‘ Jeff Gluck could even get his question out.
“If Denny [Hamlin] wants to switch cars, I’ll switch cars with him any day of the week, any time,” Busch said. “I would love for him to show he can carry it better than I can. … In this instance, I feel like Denny Hamlin doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.
“So he can bash me all he wants, and I can certainly make his life hell.”
So Busch clearly took umbrage to Hamlin saying Busch should carry the team better than his teammate Dillon. He even added a hint of a threat.
Hamlin then replied to the video Gluck posted on X, explaining his position on the issue.
“Not really sure what I’m supposed to do,” Hamlin said. “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.”
Hamlin’s response felt fair. He was asked a question on his podcast, and he answered it with his honest opinion, something I wish more NASCAR drivers did. If anything, it seemed like he was holding back to try to be nice to the driver who was his teammate at JGR for 15 years.
So maybe Busch was just irked at that moment. Maybe the two talked later and sorted it out. After all, nothing happened between the two on Sunday’s race at Kansas. They weren’t anywhere near each other in the running order, but Hamlin did lap Busch a few times. OK, the whole thing was a lot of talk over the weekend, but now it’s going to fade away, right?
That changed on Monday, when Sean Hannity posted a clip from an upcoming episode of his podcast Hang Out With Sean Hannity with Busch as the guest.
In the clip, Busch starts out talking about how he passed the playbook to Hamlin of how to be the biggest villain in NASCAR. He even alludes to a few minor run-ins they had in the past. But then, it ends with him making yet another threat toward Hamlin.
“He’s got his own podcast, and he’s been running his mouth lately,” Busch told Hannity. “So he might get run into again here soon.”
When Hannity asked if Busch meant by him, he replied with, “Yeah.”
“He’s been telling me that I’m washed up and can’t drive anymore,” Busch said.
To be fair, I’m not sure if this podcast was recorded on Monday or sometime last week. But still, for Busch to go off about Hamlin twice and both times hint at something happening on the racetrack soon, that’s not something to overlook. There’s a higher than 0% chance that Busch does something to Hamlin on the racetrack at some point in the next few weeks, or months even.
Obviously, nothing is going to happen at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. If Busch wrecks Hamlin there, then it’s going to collect a bunch of other cars and he’ll have many not happy with him. Plus, Talladega is one of the tracks where RCR has a shot at winning, with Busch winning there in 2023 with the team.
But I’d look at Watkins Glen International in two weeks or the All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway the following week as two places where Busch could potentially act against Hamlin. If it’s going to happen, it would be at a place where Busch is multiple laps down and tired of being out there logging laps.
A lot of times in recent years, drivers have claimed they would wreck a certain driver and ultimately done nothing. But this is a scenario where I could actually see Busch going through with his word. Yeah, NASCAR would probably suspend him for a week, as has been the case for a lot of intentional wrecks. But if you’re Busch, who is not happy in his current predicament and could even be leaving RCR at the end of the year, you might even welcome a week off.
What also separates this instance from others where a driver threatens to do something is it feels so unwarranted. Why is Busch so caught up in what Hamlin has to say? You want to make him look like an idiot and prove him wrong? Don’t run into him, go beat him on the track. Go win multiple races like you used to do. Focus on your own camp and getting more out of the cars rather than worry about what outsiders are saying.
Hamlin’s podcast had another episode drop this Monday. It was probably recorded before what Busch said to Hannity was posted. On his new episode, Hamlin once again stated his intentions with the previous week’s comments.
“I was as gentle as I felt like I should’ve been,” Hamlin said on his podcast.
He shied away from saying more about Busch other than he knew he struggled because he saw him a lot (as he was lapping him). He then ended the show by saying, “I’m rooting for them. Let’s go, [No.] 8.”
Michael Massie joined Frontstretch in 2017 and has served as the Content Director since 2020.
Massie, a Richmond, Va., native, has covered NASCAR, IndyCar, SRX and the CARS Tour. Outside of motorsports, the Virginia Tech grad and Green Bay Packers minority owner can be seen cheering on his beloved Hokies and Packers.
Show business kids making movies of themselves, you know they don’t give a #### about anybody else……