Denny Hamlin responds to Kyle Busch irritation with praise
Hamlin has a podcast built on candor but also respects 'Rowdy'
When Denny Hamlin launched the ‘Action Detrimental’ podcast on Dirty Mo Media, he vowed to be authentically candid and honest about the hot topics of each NASCAR Cup Series race weekend.
It’s proven to be a successful formula, at least until a current driver took exception to that candor, in the form of Kyle Busch. The former Joe Gibbs Racing teammates had a back and forth through the media and social media this weekend regarding comments Hamlin made about Busch.
Specifically, Hamlin pondered if this is the end for Busch as a competitive driver, citing his struggles with this current-generation car even before he departed JGR for Richard Childress Racing. Hamlin suggested that Busch started a decline even before the debut of this car while he was at Gibbs.
Despite the commentary, Hamlin praised Busch for being one of the greatest of all time and someone who he couldn’t match on talent, but also said it spoke wonders that the two-time champion was not consistently beating teammate Austin Dillon in equal equipment.
Busch took exception and said Hamlin didn’t know what he was talking about and suggested they should swap cars before continuing to have the conversation. The two-time champion felt like he was ‘bashed’ and said he could make race days ‘hell’ for Hamlin.
Hamlin was asked about it on the Cup Series pre-race show on FOX and offered equal parts praise and honesty regarding his ex-teammate.
"It's just such a hard tightrope,” Hamlin said. “When the subject came up, I'm like, 'How am I gonna tread this?' Because I have to be honest to the people that tune in, listen to an episode. That's why they listen.
"But I also have to go on the racetrack with him, and I felt like I was being gentle and trying to share the blame all around because I think that there's enough to go around.
"I know this: I was teammates with Kyle Busch, and I know he taught me by far more than any teammate I ever was with. He did. He's the reason I'm decent on these mile-and-a-halfs, is because of Kyle Busch.
"So I know what he's capable of, and I know that it's he's not loving where he's at because he's a tough competitor. I'm rooting for him because the sport needs the old Kyle Busch."
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