NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin has opened up about Kyle Busch’s performance in the Cup Series, revealing that fans will be met with disappointment if they think he will get back to Victory Lane.
Busch has failed to significantly outperform his teammate, Austin Dillon, at Richard Childress Racing. The two-time Cup champion has not won a single race in the last three years. His last win was at Gateway on June 4, 2023.
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In the same timeframe, Dillon has won consecutive races at Richmond Raceway, which highlights Busch’s struggles since he joined RCR in 2023.
Is it NASCAR’s controversial Next Gen car? Or has Busch passed his prime? While Denny Hamlin does not have the correct answer, his insights shed light on what could be happening with Busch. Speaking on his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said:
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Kyle Busch
“We keep talking about this. In the last couple of years, including Joe Gibbs Racing) was not good…It’s been like this for five years.”
He added”
“You’re a Hall of Fame Mount Rushmore driver, and if you’re of the greatest, then carry it better than your teammate who has won 10 races. I think he should be able to do that, but it’s not happening.
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“I think that he doesn’t know how to get the speed out of the Next Gen car on a consistent basis. There’s been flashes of it. And when yes, he won three races his first season at RCR. That was the first year of NextGen.”
Given the half-decade timeframe, Hamlin suggests it is time to set realistic expectations for Busch, especially when he is just seven points ahead of Dillon. He added:
“This is just my opinion, and I can’t hold a helmet to Kyle Busch talent-wise, but I just think that this is not new. He’s struggled for five years now, so we just have to be honest about our expectations.
“If you’re expecting Kyle Busch to just go back to Victory Lane on a regular basis, you’re kidding yourselves and you’re going to be very disappointed. I just think that, until we change the car or something changes, something has to change, and I have no idea. I’m not in his shoes. I’m not his crew chief.
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“I’m not his engineer, and I’m not his team owner. I’m not in the weeds. I’m just a podcaster that happens to be on the race track around him, and I can say it’s not working. I don’t have the answers, and we need to just live in this reality for the time being.”
“Sometimes the light switch goes off at different times,” said Hamlin. “I don’t know.”
Hamlin admitted that he doesn’t like seeing Busch’s current form but insists that this is the current reality. He said:
“I genuinely don’t like seeing one of the most polarizing and popular and talented guys in the sport running where he is at right now. But this is the new reality we have to set ourselves in until we see any kind of change.”
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