Denny Hamlin claims Kyle Busch will not make it to the 2023 Cup Championship four
Denny Hamlin has claimed that Kyle Busch will not make it to the 2023 Cup playoff final race since he doesn’t have enough stage wins.
Follow Us
Denny Hamlin and Kyle Bsuch (Credits: RACER)
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin has predicted that his former teammate and two times Cup champion Kyle Busch will not make it to this season’s final four. Busch left JGR for Richard Childress Racing at the end of 2022 after failing to extend his one-and-a-half decades stay at the top TRD team. Since joining RCR, he has secured three wins and has been among the most consistent racers.
Kyle Busch had a tough time in his final year behind the wheels of the No:19 Camry as he was able to score just one win and was eliminated in the round of 16 during the playoffs. His inconsistent form the whole season, along with the contract extension drama, played a role in his disappointing season that saw one of his main rivals Joey Logano taking home the title.
Denny Hamlin, while choosing the 2023 Championship four, claimed that the No:8 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver might not make it despite being a consistent front-raw finisher. He backed his argument by pointing at Busch’s lack of stage wins and pointed out that progression in the playoff will depend heavily on the playoff points amassed with stage wins.
“Kyle Busch, I don’t understand Kyle Busch. I didn’t think he ran that well yesterday, and I’d look up, and he finished fifth. Again, most of the guys that finished upfront was part of that stay-out strategy, so you know I’m not sure about Kyle,” Hamlin said in his “Action Detrimental” podcast.
“I’m gonna say I’m probably gonna pass on the final four there…Kyle’s actually got the second most playoff points because he’s got the win to three wins right, only two stage victories. I’m still gonna pass there,” the 23XI Racing co-owner added.
Discover: Goodyear readies itself for the potential return NASCAR Indy Oval Cup race
Denny Hamlin names the 2023 Cup Final four
Hamlin was picky when naming his picks for the 2023 Cup finale. His first choice was himself, and he claimed that his No:11 team has historically been good in the latter half of the season, and he has no doubt that they can make it to the playoffs; his second choice was his teammate and 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. who has won two races so far this season and been consistent.
“I’m gonna make it because that’s what we do. We make the final fours, and I always get better as years ago. Stats don’t lie. All right, so next in line is the regular season. You got Martin Truex definitely could. He’s running extremely well,” Hamlin said.
Along with Truex Jr., one pick of the TRD driver that he expects to see get into the finale with minimum effort is William Byron. The HMS driver is currently the championship leader and has the most playoff points ahead of Busch. He was confused about the third and fourth spots for the Phoenix race.
He had three choices, himself alongside HMS’s 2021 Championship-winning driver Kyle Larson and last year’s championship runner-up Ross Chastain. He decided to go with Larson instead of the No:1 Chevy driver with whom he had aggressive on-track feuds In the recent past.
In case you missed it:
Stay Updated!
Justin P Joy
(4859 Articles Published)