“He’s Struggled for Five Years!” Denny Hamlin Puts Kyle Busch’s Disappointing RCR Struggle into Perspective

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin has shared his thoughts on the massive struggles of his former teammate Kyle Busch.

“He’s Struggled for Five Years!” Denny Hamlin Puts Kyle Busch’s Disappointing RCR Struggle into Perspective

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch (Via IMAGO)

Two times NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch is going through one of the biggest nightmares of his racing career. He has been winless in the top division foe 100 straight races, with his last Cup win coming three years ago at Gateway. The whole community is beyond disappointed with the veteran’s run including his ex-JGR teammate Denny Hamlin.

Talking about the champion driver’s performance, the No:11 Toyota driver highlighted how Busch’s struggle started almost five years ago. He has failed to match the expectations he has set for himself as a Mount Rushmore driver in his final two years at JGR, as well as the three years so far at RCR. Failing to outperform an average teammate like Austin Dillon consistently shows how much the mighty has fallen.

We keep talking about this but the last couple of years (at Joe Gibbs Racing) was not good; it’s been like this for five years. You’re a Hall of Fame Mount Rushmore driver and if you’re of the greatest, then carry better than your teammate that’s only won 10 races. I think he should be able to do that but it’s not happening.

Denny Hamlin said on his podcast.

Furthermore, the co-owner of 23XI Racing, Denny Hamlin admitted that he doesn’t see any scope of the No:8 team in the victory lane anytime soon. The veteran isn’t questioning Kyle Busch’s talent as a racer but is highlighting the struggles of the former champion with the current regulations of Cup cars.

This is just my opinion, and I can’t hold a helmet to Kyle Busch on talent, 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, 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.

Denny Hamlin added via Actions Detrimental.

He feels unless there is a change any time soon, the struggle is going to continue for the veteran. Defending his wild prediction, Hamlin pointed out that his comments are based on the reality he has witnessed on the track while racing alongside his ex-teammate and believes the disappointment will be the reality for the Rowdy nation for a long-time.

I’m not in his shoes. I’m not his crew chief. 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 I think we have to live in this reality for the time being.

Denny Hamlin asserted.

Denny Hamlin calls out Kyle Busch for being too involved in car set up decisions

One of the major reasons for the struggle of the No:8 team is the lack of a good partnership between Busch and his crew chief. The new team leader Jim Pohlman hasn’t made a mark yet and the criticism about Busch being too involved in the decision making is getting traction. Hamlin feels the veteran needs to step back from some decision making.

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch
Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch (Via IMAGO)

Maybe in the short term. Maybe he just says ‘I am going to give you feedback and just drive the car’ because it’s the drivers job to send them in a direction but that doesn’t mean telling them what to change… 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.

Denny Hamlin said.

The comments from the veteran shows the truth about Kyle Busch and team the whole garage is finding hard to swallow. He might have lost some of the key factors that made him special with the car change coming in the wrong time for him and the NASCAR fans might never see the dominant veteran ever again.

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