In the high-stakes world of NASCAR, where rivalries burn as hot as the engines on the track, few voices carry as much weight as Denny Hamlin’s. As a veteran driver with decades of experience, multiple Daytona 500 victories, and a long tenure at Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin has seen the sport evolve through countless changes. Yet, when he recently took to his “Actions Detrimental” podcast to discuss the current state of fellow competitor Kyle Busch, his words landed like a thunderclap across the racing community.
What many fans and analysts had been whispering about for months, Hamlin stated plainly and without hesitation: the once-dominant era of Kyle Busch in NASCAR might be drawing to a close, and expectations for a swift return to glory are unrealistic.
Hamlin’s comments came amid a season where Busch, now racing for Richard Childress Racing, continues to grapple with inconsistent performances and a prolonged winless streak in the Cup Series. At 40 years old, Busch remains one of the most accomplished drivers in modern NASCAR history, boasting over 60 Cup wins, two championships, and a reputation as one of the most aggressive and talented wheelmen the sport has ever produced. Nicknamed “Rowdy,” Busch built his legacy through sheer determination, late-race charges, and an ability to extract speed from cars that others found unforgiving.
His time at Joe Gibbs Racing, where he teamed with Hamlin for years, produced some of the most memorable battles in the series, with the two drivers often pushing each other to the limits while sharing garage space and resources.
But the landscape has shifted dramatically with the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022. This new generation of NASCAR vehicles was designed to level the playing field, reduce costs, and create closer racing. For some drivers, it represented an opportunity to adapt and thrive in a more standardized environment. For others, including Busch, the transition has proven far more challenging than anticipated. Hamlin, drawing from his own observations as both a competitor and a team owner with 23XI Racing, did not shy away from addressing this head-on.
He pointed out that Busch’s struggles did not begin solely upon his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing to join Richard Childress Racing. Instead, the downturn has been evident for approximately five years, spanning the final seasons at JGR and continuing into the present.
“If you’re expecting Kyle Busch to just go back to victory lane on a regular basis, you are kidding yourself or you’re going to be very disappointed,” Hamlin remarked during the podcast. These words, delivered with the blunt honesty that has become a hallmark of his off-track commentary, cut through the optimism often surrounding Busch’s situation. Many fans and pundits have attributed Busch’s woes primarily to the equipment at Richard Childress Racing, suggesting that a move to a stronger organization could reignite his winning ways. Hamlin, however, offered a more sobering perspective.
While acknowledging that RCR is not performing at its peak, he emphasized that the issue runs deeper than team resources alone.
Central to Hamlin’s analysis is Busch’s relationship with the Next Gen car. “I think that he doesn’t know how to get the speed out of the Next Gen car on a consistent basis,” Hamlin explained. He noted that Busch’s three wins in 2023 occurred during a period when teams were still experimenting and “guessing” on setups with the unfamiliar machinery. As the rest of the field has caught up—refining aerodynamics, tire management, and chassis adjustments—Busch has found himself increasingly left behind.
This adaptation gap has manifested in qualifying struggles, mid-pack finishes, and an inability to close out races with the same ruthless efficiency that defined his prime.
Hamlin went further, invoking Busch’s Hall of Fame-caliber status to underscore the point. “You’re a Hall of Fame, Mt. Rushmore driver, carry it better than your teammate, then. If you’re the greatest, then carry it better than your teammate who’s won 10 races. Find a way. I think that’s what he should be able to do, but it’s not happening.” At Richard Childress Racing, Busch has been compared unfavorably to teammate Austin Dillon, who has secured victories in recent seasons.
With Busch sitting just ahead of Dillon in the standings by a slim margin of points, the numbers paint a picture of parity rather than dominance. For a driver who once routinely outperformed his teammates and carried organizations on his back, this represents a stark decline.
The context of Hamlin’s remarks adds layers of intrigue. The two drivers share a complex history filled with on-track incidents, respect, and occasional friction. During their overlapping years at Joe Gibbs Racing, they formed part of a powerhouse lineup that included Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and later Martin Truex Jr. and others. Hamlin has openly discussed how competitive the internal dynamics were, with each driver vying for the best setups and crew attention. Yet, as Hamlin has aged and adapted—continuing to contend for wins well into his 40s—he has watched Busch’s trajectory diverge.
Hamlin himself has closed the gap in career Cup victories, a fact that once seemed improbable given Busch’s early dominance.
Beyond the personal rivalry, Hamlin’s podcast served as a broader commentary on the evolving nature of NASCAR. The Next Gen car has democratized competition to some extent, rewarding teams and drivers who excel in data analysis, simulation, and incremental improvements. Veterans like Busch, who thrived in the more intuitive, setup-heavy era of previous car generations, face a steeper learning curve. Hamlin suggested that what once felt like a temporary slump has now stretched into half a decade, making it harder to dismiss as mere bad luck or team issues.
“It’s been like this for five years,” he reiterated, urging honesty in evaluating Busch’s current capabilities.
This frank assessment has sparked intense debate within the NASCAR community. Supporters of Busch argue that Hamlin’s comments overlook the external factors at play, including RCR’s historical inconsistencies and the pressures of a grueling schedule. They point to flashes of Busch’s old brilliance—aggressive moves, strong restarts, and occasional top-five runs—as evidence that the talent remains intact. A change of scenery, perhaps to a top-tier team with cutting-edge engineering, could provide the spark needed for resurgence. Busch himself has remained relatively composed in public, focusing on incremental progress and avoiding direct confrontations with critics.
Critics, however, echo Hamlin’s sentiments, noting that elite drivers in other motorsports have similarly faced adaptation challenges as technology advanced. Comparisons have been drawn to legends like Jimmie Johnson, whose later career saw diminished returns despite undeniable greatness. At 41, Busch is not yet at retirement age by NASCAR standards—several drivers have competed successfully into their mid-40s—but the physical and mental demands of the sport are unrelenting. Speculation about his future, including potential retirement when his RCR contract concludes, has intensified in the wake of Hamlin’s remarks.
Hamlin was careful to frame his observations as those of a fellow competitor and podcaster rather than an insider with privileged access to Busch’s team data. “I’m not in his shoes. I’m not his crew chief, his engineer, or his team owner. I’m just a podcaster who happens to be on the racetrack around him and I can say it’s not working.” This disclaimer lends credibility to his perspective; it comes from someone who races wheel-to-wheel with Busch week in and week out, observing the subtle differences in speed, handling, and decision-making that statistics alone might obscure.
The broader implications for NASCAR extend beyond one driver’s fortunes. Stories like Busch’s highlight the human element in a sport increasingly driven by engineering and analytics. Fans crave narratives of redemption and comeback, and the idea of “Rowdy” reclaiming his throne resonates deeply. Yet Hamlin’s “bombshell” serves as a reminder that realism must temper hope. The days of a handful of superstars dominating the field have given way to a more competitive parity, where consistency and adaptability often trump raw talent.
As the 2026 season progresses, all eyes will remain on Busch and whether he can silence the doubters. Will he find the setup magic that eludes him? Can a fresh start elsewhere unlock the speed that once seemed effortless? Or has the combination of age, car evolution, and shifting team dynamics permanently altered his trajectory? Hamlin’s words have forced the conversation into the open, challenging fans, media, and the industry to confront uncomfortable truths.
In the end, NASCAR thrives on such candor. Drivers like Hamlin, who balance on-track prowess with insightful commentary, enrich the sport by providing context that goes beyond lap times and finishing positions. Whether one agrees with his bleak outlook or holds out for a Busch renaissance, the discussion underscores the relentless evolution of stock car racing. Legends are not immune to the passage of time or technological shifts, and Kyle Busch’s journey—marked by triumphs, controversies, and now scrutiny—continues to captivate as one of the most compelling storylines in the garage.
For now, the bombshell has been dropped, leaving the NASCAR world to process its echoes. Hamlin has painted a picture that is as honest as it is harsh: the Kyle Busch who terrorized opponents for nearly two decades may no longer exist in the same form. Adaptation is the name of the game, and for one of racing’s most polarizing figures, the clock is ticking louder than ever.
Only time—and the next few races—will reveal if disappointment awaits those clinging to past glories, or if a final chapter of redemption is still possible on the high-banked turns of America’s premier stock car circuit.
