Kyle Busch has gone more than 100 consecutive Cup Series races without a victory, stalling a legendary career that seemingly had him destined for 80-plus wins. Now, amid mounting skepticism and criticism, Busch seems to be taking exception to recent comments made by his former teammate.
Asked on Saturday by Jeff Gluck of The Athletic for his response to Denny Hamlin’s recent comments regarding the future Hall of Famer’s struggles in the No. 8 car, Busch fired back at his former teammate. He also implied he can cause problems for him on the track as payback.
“80 percent of 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.”
Kyle Busch on Denny Hamlin’s comments and ongoing talk about his struggles
Related: Denny Hamlin Offers Blunt Message on Kyle Busch’s Struggles
Regarding Busch’s aspirations to make Hamlin’s “life hell” with the No. 8 car, that could prove a bit difficult if recent history is any guide. He finished 25th at Bristol Motor Speedway and 24th at Martinsville Speedway, meaning he finished multiple laps behind the No. 11 car. As for Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway, just look at the NASCAR starting lineup today, Hamlin is starting second after posting the second-best lap time in qualifying (29.161 seconds) with a top speed of 185.179 mph, whereas Busch qualified 23rd at 29.653 seconds with a top speed of 182.106 mph.
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It’s understandable why Busch is frustrated. He’s approaching his third full season without a win in the Cup Series, and his on-track results only seem to be getting worse. He also enters Sunday 24th in the standings, leading teammate Austin Dillon by only 7 points. There’s been audible frustration from Busch on the radio, and it’s become evident he’s fed up with his situation at Richard Childress Racing in a contract year.
Hamlin’s comments came on the latest episode of Actions Detrimental. He even admitted that “I can’t hold the guy’s helmet talent-wise” regarding Busch, but he also said his former teammate should “carry it better than your teammate (Dillon)” and he also said that Busch has long had his struggles with the Next Gen car.
Busch clearly heard those comments and implied its the No. 8 car and the team that is the biggest issue, saying he’d be more than happy to swap places with Hamlin and see how he handles it.
“If Denny wants to switch cars, I’ll switch cars with him any day of the week, anytime. I would love for him to show me that he can carry it better than I can.”
Kyle Busch responding to Denny Hamlin’s comments about the No. 8 car, Busch’s struggles
Hamlin never said that RCR is blameless in Busch’s winless streak, even saying the team “is not good right now.” However, as someone who used to be teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing with Busch, he noted that he was struggling with consistency; even back then, there were issues.
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To that point, Busch had just one victory in his final season with Joe Gibbs Racing, and he had a modest average finishing position (16.7). Fast forward to 2026, Busch’s replacement, Ty Gibbs, is coming off a win and six consecutive top-six finishes, while Busch has finished outside the top 20 in the last four races.
Related: NASCAR Cup Series All-Time Wins List, including Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin
Busch’s frustration is understandable, and these comments coming from Hamlin might be particularly impactful given what’s happened in the last three years. Since Busch’s last victory in the Cup Series, Hamlin has won 12 races, and he now needs just one more trip to victory lane to tie him for career Cup Series wins.
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Given Busch’s declining performance and some of the public frustration he’s directed toward former teammates and current crew members, he might not even have the options he feels he deserves next year after his contract expires.
Related: Kyle Busch Winless Streak, Things That Happened Before and Since Win
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