Obviously, the struggles of Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team were one of the many topics discussed by Denny Hamlin on his Actions Detrimental Podcast this week, in an episode titled “Kyle Busch Still Has It… But Something Is Off”, heading into Kansas Speedway. Let’s just say, Busch, who addressed the comments in a media bullpen session at Kansas Speedway, isn’t a fan of Hamlin’s assessment of his situation.
What Did Hamlin Say?
When the topic of Busch’s current struggles came up, Hamlin pointed out that Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, has actually been struggling for “five years” as Hamlin said Busch’s last couple of seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing weren’t very good.
Hamlin stated that Busch is failing to carry his car well at Richard Childress Racing, and when trying to diagnose why Busch has struggled so mightily, Hamlin insinuated that Busch may have crossed the age where a switch flips, and a driver is no longer competitive.
Hamlin says a lot of the issue for Busch is that the Next Gen car hasn’t suited him well, and for people saying the issues are 100% Richard Childress Racing’s equipment, he noted that Busch isn’t head-and-shoulders above Austin Dillon, his teammate with a far inferior resume.
“If you’re the greatest, then carry it better than your teammate who’s won 10 races,” Hamlin said.
Busch’s Response? Let’s Swap Cars
When Hamlin’s podcast comments were brought up by Jeff Gluck of The Athletic during a media bullpen availability on Saturday at Kansas Speedway, Busch was fired up.
Busch offered to swap cars with Hamlin if Hamlin feels he is capable of elevating the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing car past what he’s been getting out of it.
Kyle Busch seemingly did not appreciate the comments on Denny Hamlin’s podcast. pic.twitter.com/VtkqqFlVsR
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) April 18, 2026
“If Denny wants to switch cars, I’ll switch cars with him any day of the week, anytime. I would love for him to show me that he can carry it better than I can,” Busch said with a smile on his face.
Busch was then pressed about the swirling opinions on social media and whether he keeps up with what people are saying, and Busch admitted that he does, and that most opinions are garbage. But he did say if Hamlin wants to keep bringing him up in a negative light, he’s ready to fight back.
“Um, I have consumed some of it over time, and I’ve consumed that 80% of it, people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. And in this instance, I don’t feel like Denny Hamlin even knows what the hell he’s talking about,” Busch lamented. “So, he can bash me all he wants, and I can certainly make his life hell.”
Denny Hamlin Responds On X
After the response from Busch made its rounds on social media from Gluck’s X account, Hamlin says he feels like he is expected to walk a tight rope as a podcast host, and that he doesn’t feel like he went too hard on Busch on his show.
“Not really sure what I’m supposed to do,” Hamlin posted on X. “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.”
Where Do We Go From Here?
While Hamlin feels he didn’t do anything wrong, Busch didn’t see the situation the same way. And while Hamlin is currently one of the top drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series, as he won more races last season (six) than Busch has in the last five seasons (five), Busch could pose a scary threat to the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, as Busch currently doesn’t seem to have anything to lose on track.
It seems quite clear that Busch and his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team aren’t quite “Chase-caliber” at this juncture in the season. So, if Busch finds an opportunity, whether as lapped traffic or in an on-track battle to make Hamlin’s life difficult, it could severely impact Hamlin’s race, or, depending on how far the interaction goes, his entire season.
It’ll be interesting to keep an eye on this situation between two former teammates in the weeks going forward. And while things may get smoothed over, this should serve as a reminder to Hamlin that his placement in the NASCAR media landscape through his comments on his podcast can have repercussions within the garage area.
Busch heads into Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway on a career-worst 101-race winless skid, and the driver with 63 career NASCAR Cup Series wins is one of many potential free agent drivers heading into the 2027 season.
