Kyle Busch made headlines before this weekend’s NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway by suggesting he could get paid for comments he made earlier in the week about Denny Hamlin. Since Busch’s on-track performance isn’t adding anything to the feud, he’s now working behind the microphone.

In a recent interview, Busch said that Hamlin played the role of the villainous driver who is winning too much. However, they are not talking much, leaving Hamlin to “run his mouth” and say he “might have to face him again here soon” and that Busch has been “washed up” as a driver.

“He has his own podcast and he’s been running his mouth lately so he might be here again soon… He’s been telling me I’m tired and can’t drive anymore.”

RELATED: NASCAR Insider Highlights Kyle Busch’s Options in Free Agency

To set the record straight, Hamlin never said his former partner was washed up or could no longer drive. Instead, on last week’s episode of Actions Detrimental, the driver of the No. 11 car said Busch should “take it better” amid Richard Childress Racing’s ongoing struggles. Hamlin also said that anyone still holding out hope that Busch would regain his former glory as a consistent winner will be “very disappointed” because the 40-year-old “doesn’t know how to get speed out of a Next Gen car on a consistent basis.”

Hamlin, who has scored 12 Cup Series wins since his last trip to Victory Lane in Busch’s No. 8 car, also compared himself to Busch, saying he “can’t catch that guy’s helmet talent-wise”. Apparently, Bush didn’t hear that part of the segment. It’s also notable that when Busch was on the podcast last year, Hamlin credited him with developing his career.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin gives clear message on Kyle Busch’s struggles

Busch also revealed his “hate list” of fellow NASCAR drivers, which includes Carson Hocevar, Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski. As with Hamlin, the only problem he may cause for them is when he’s going to lag, and probably not for the first time in that race.

NASCAR statistics support this. Over the last six races, Busch ranks 31st in average finishing position (25), which puts him well behind Hamlin (5.3, second), Keselowski (10.0, sixth), Hocevar (14.3, 13th) and even the struggling Logano (19.8, 21st).

RELATED: Kyle Busch winless streak, what’s happened since and before last win

Even in the last 15 races leading up to Talladega, Busch is 21st in average finishing position (20.6), while Hamlin is fifth (11.8), Keselowski is sixth (12.5), Logano is 12th (15.3), and even Hocevar (19.6) is slightly ahead of the future Hall of Famer. None of these drivers can really see Busch as a rival because he is not providing them any competition.

Busch’s frustration with RCR is obvious, but what has brought his struggles even more into the spotlight is that Dillon has been performing better than him this season. Both are forced to deal with RCR providing inadequate support, but the driver of the No. 3 car is handling it better and producing better results.

Notably, Hamlin did not respond to Busch’s weekend comments during Monday’s episode of Actions Detrimental. It will be interesting to see how things play out between the two drivers in the coming weeks, when Hamlin will inevitably tie Busch for a career Cup win and ultimately surpass him this season.

RELATED: NASCAR Cup Series all-time win list, including Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

As the San Antonio Spurs (43-17) prepare to conclude their five-game Eastern Conference road trip with a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers (33-27) on Tuesday at 8:00 PM ET on NBC and Peacock, center Luke Cornette reiterated his criticism of the Atlanta Hawks’ association with the Magic City.

Cornette addressed the controversy while speaking with Jason Dumas of Action News on 6abc following Tuesday’s shooting. His comments come a day after he publicly objected to the Hawks’ planned “Magic City Night” promotion tied to their March 16 home game against the Orlando Magic.

“I actually saw the statement just last week, the Hawks’ announcement and as far as the point that you have the public voice, I feel like it doesn’t really represent what I know about myself and a lot of others in the NBA. [players] thought. So, I just want to make sure that that part of the discussion is expressed and that it includes criticizing people and things like that – that’s part of the process that white people may be hesitant to do but I think really trying to start a conversation and be able to do that.

He continued:

“It’s important to help make sure everyone in the league is ready to be represented and has an environment like you want.”

Cornette’s renewed comments follow backlash after he first expressed concerns about the Hawks’ partnership. On Monday, he elaborated in a post on Medium, where he directly called on the organization to cancel the event.

Luke Cornette caused some stir nationally when he urged the Atlanta Hawks to cancel “Magic City Night”, saying it was disrespectful to women.

I asked him about it after the shooting in Philly. Says he has not spoken to the league since his statement. pic.twitter.com/eTwFuZGAGQ

-Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) 3 March 2026

“This week, the Atlanta Hawks announced a special one-night collaboration celebrating the city’s iconic cultural institution Magic City during the team’s home game against the Orlando Magic on Monday, March 16,” Cornett wrote. “In their press release, Hawks failed to acknowledge that this location is, as the business itself claims, ‘Atlanta’s premiere strip club.’ Given this fact, I would respectfully ask that the Atlanta Hawks cancel this promotional night with the Magic City.

Luke Kornet says NBA, Hawks haven’t contacted him amid Magic City controversy

Asked whether the league moved forward after his initial statement, Cornette said:

“Not really after that. I talked to a few people in the league first, just to see what the status of it was, to make sure it was up to date on the situation.”

He said the Hawks have not contacted him.

“No, I didn’t.”

The Hawks’ collaboration has attracted widespread attention, including public support from former guard Lou Williams. While Atlanta has not indicated any changes to its plans, Cornette’s comments add another layer to the broader conversation surrounding the event.

San Antonio will now turn their attention back to the court as they prepare to face Philadelphia on Tuesday night, and look to bounce back from a 114-89 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday.

The NBA is struggling with a big problem right now in the form of tanking. The league inadvertently has rules in place that effectively encourage teams to throw games in hopes of getting a better draft selection.

At a time when the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers have been heavily fined by the league for violating player participation policies, Phoenix Suns owner Matt Ishbia is not saying anything about the practice.

“It’s an embarrassment, that’s totally, my point of view, tanking is a loser mentality. I’ve never been around anyone. You show me somebody who wants to lose, who thinks about losing, I’ll show you a loser, he’s a loser, that’s not my stuff,” Ishbia revealed on The Pat McAfee Show, according to a post by ClutchPoints on X.

“It’s a shame. It’s terrible. My view is that tanking is a loser mentality. … I think it’s bad for the NBA.”

Suns governor Matt Ishbia on the league’s tanking issue.

(via @PatMcAfeeShow)pic.twitter.com/dqK2YShWFf

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 25 February 2026

“So I don’t like to lose, I don’t ever want to talk about losing. We try to win and the draft works, if you don’t have a good team, you get a good pick. But if you intentionally trade for players and then don’t play them, try to lose games. I think it’s bad for the NBA, I think Adam Silver knows it, organizations know it, it’s got to change. It will change.

After the 2026 All-Star break, the race to the bottom has become so transparent that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was forced to impose massive financial fines against organizations openly throwing games.

“It’s fixable, and credit to Adam Silver. He knows it’s a problem, he’ll fix it. I believe he’ll fix it, but you can’t have teams like that…the incentives are misaligned right now,” Ishbia declared.

The Utah Jazz were fined a whopping $500,000 for benching healthy stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the fourth quarter of highly competitive games against Orlando and Miami. Shortly afterward, the Indiana Pacers were fined $100,000 for resting Pascal Siakam and two other starters in violation of the league’s player participation policy.

Ishbia’s statements indicate that at least some owners in the NBA value competition above all else, even if it proves detrimental due to NBA rules.