Kyle Busch has not won more than 100 consecutive Cup Series races, punctuating his stellar career that seemingly featured him with more than 80 wins. Now, amid growing skepticism and criticism, Bush appears to be taking issue with recent comments made by his former running mate.
When The Athletic's Jeff Gluck asked for a reaction to Denny Hamlin's recent comments about the future Hall of Famer's struggles in the No. 8 car on Saturday, Busch fired back at his former teammate. He also said that he could create problems for him on the track as payback.
"80 percent of people don't know what they're talking about. In this case, I don't know if Denny Hamlin even knows what he's talking about. He can curse at me all he wants. I can definitely make his life hell."
Kyle Busch on Denny Hamlin's comments and the ongoing conversation about his struggles
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As for Busch's aspirations to make Hamlin's "life hell" with the No. 8 car, that may prove a little difficult if recent history is any guide. He finished 25th at Bristol Motor Speedway and 24th at Martinsville Speedway, meaning he finished several laps behind the No. 11 car. For Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway, check out NASCAR's starting lineup today Hamlin is starting second after posting the second-best lap time (29.161 seconds) in qualifying with a top speed of 185.179 mph, while Busch qualified 23rd at 29.653 seconds with a top speed of 182.106 mph.
It's understandable why Bush is disappointed. He is approaching his third full season without a win in the Cup Series, and his on-track results are only getting worse. He moved up to 24th in the standings on Sunday, just 7 points ahead of teammate Austin Dillon. Busch's frustrations are heard over the radio, and it becomes clear that he is 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 also admitted of Busch that "talent-wise I can't hold that guy's helmet", but added that his former teammate "must keep it better than your teammate (Dillon)" and added that Busch has long struggled with the Next Gen car.
Busch clearly heard those comments and said it's the No. 8 car and team that is the biggest issue, adding that he would be happy to swap places with Hamlin and see how he handles it.
"If Denny wants to swap cars, I'll swap cars with him any day of the week, any time. I'd love for him to show me he can take it better than me."
Kyle Busch responds to Denny Hamlin's comments about No. 8 car, Busch's struggles
Hamlin never said RCR was blameless in Busch's winless streak, even saying the team was "not good right now." However, as someone who used to be teammates with Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing, he noted that he struggled with consistency; Even at that time, there were issues.
To that point, Busch had only one win in his final season with Joe Gibbs Racing, and had an average finishing position (16.7). Fast forward to 2026, Busch's replacement, Ty Gibbs, is racking up wins and six consecutive top-six finishes, while Busch has finished outside the top 20 in the last four races.
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Busch's frustration is understandable, and these comments coming from Hamlin may be especially impressive given what has happened over the past three years. Since Busch's last win in the Cup Series, Hamlin has won 12 races, and now needs just one more trip to victory lane to tie for career Cup Series wins.
Given Busch's declining performance and some of the public's frustration towards former teammates and current crew members, he may not even have the options he is entitled to next year after his contract expires.
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