Kyle Busch did not appreciate what Denny Hamlin said about him
The comments were made on Actions Detrimental and were not flattering
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing
Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images
Kyle Busch did not appreciate the commentary about his season and career trajectory from Denny Hamlin during a segment on the Actions Detrimental podcast on Monday.
Hamlin effectively said Busch is one of the greatest of all time, but also felt like Busch needed to solidly outperform teammate Austin Dillon to justify a narrative that the two-time champion is being held back by Richard Childress Racing equipment.
Speaking to a media scrum on Saturday at Kansas Speedway, and asked about the commentary by The Athletic, Busch suggested Hamlin should drive his car before saying anything about him.
“If Denny wants to switch cars I’ll switch cars with him. Any day of the week, any time,” Busch said. “I’d love for him to show me that he can carry it better than I can.”
How much of the online chatter has Busch heard about?
“I have consumed some of it over time,” Busch said. “80 percent of people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about,” Busch said. “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.”
To be fair to what Hamlin said, his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate praised Busch and said he couldn’t compare to the two-time champion in talent, but also pondered if age has simply caught up to the performance.
Hamlin said Busch’s performance decline started at Joe Gibbs Racing and was accelerated by this current-generation car.
Regardless, Busch is 24th in the standings and seven points ahead of Dillon, and is in a contract year at 40-years-old, with no obvious place to go to resume chasing championships.
Hamlin has since responded to the clip, posting on social media: "Not really sure what I’m supposed to do. 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 has since responded to Busch via social media.
Photos from Kansas - Saturday
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Kansas - Saturday, in photos
Share Or Save This Story
LIVE: F1 Austrian Grand Prix updates - George Russell wins ahead of Max Verstappen
LIVE: Rotax Max Challenge Euro Trophy – Round 3 at Karting Genk
F1 2026 qualifying head-to-head: Austrian GP
Denny Hamlin says Michael Jordan is 'finding out'
Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after Pocono 2026
Denny Hamlin wins third consecutive NASCAR Cup race, beating Reddick at Pocono
Austin Hill wins dramatic NASCAR O'Reilly San Diego race in last-lap pass
Keselowski, Dillon and Buescher move on from Nashville ordeal
Richard Childress returns to public spotlight where he planned to reveal Kyle Busch extension
Video: Noah Gragson retaliates against Cody Ware; Todd Gilliland vs. 23XI at Sonoma
Trackhouse crew chief says they were 'lucky' to have Van Gisbergen against faster JGR car
Susie Wolff explains why F1 Academy cannot be a "charity project" as series grows
Red Bull's Austrian GP upgrade package compared to "B-spec" F1 car by former mechanic
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments