The two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch finished the race at Richmond last Saturday in 16th place. Such a middle-of-the-road finish from him is no longer surprising following dozens of average performances. But what had his fellow competitor, Denny Hamlin, worried was the reckless manner in which he drove at certain points during the race.
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Hamlin spoke about them on Actions Detrimental and laid out his desire to reach out and ask if ‘Rowdy’ was doing okay. He said, “It was so weird. We were under caution, and like I felt, ‘Boom.’ I’m like, ‘What the hell?’ I guess he was warming his tires up and just door-slamming the s**t out of me.”
The contact was unintentional, and Hamlin acknowledged the same. What concerned him more was that Busch did similar moves on other drivers, including Chase Elliott, as well.
The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran continued, “I wanted to be genuine about it. Like, you know, ‘Hey, bud. How are you doing? Doing okay?’ He just wiped out two cars, and then the #9 was coming by, and he clipped him on the way out. I don’t know, man. It’s tough to say. It just doesn’t look right.”
Denny Hamlin referenced Kyle Busch unintentionally dooring him under caution on Actions Detrimental, so I went back and looked. Looked like Busch had to check up for Alex Bowman just before the Lap 196 restart and Hamlin just happened to be there when he swerved left a touch.
“I… pic.twitter.com/VGnZ7s7hgj
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) August 18, 2025
The contact with Hamlin went down on Lap 196 of the race at Richmond. NASCAR reporter Steven Taranto explained that Busch checked up behind Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman just before the restart. Hamlin had been on the right inside when Busch turned slightly. This set off a sequence that none of the drivers wanted.
Things turned more chaotic a couple of laps later. Busch got caught in the middle of a 12-car wreck. Big names, including Hamlin, Elliott and Brad Keselowski, were in it. Busch wasn’t to be blamed for the accident, but it was largely similar to situations that he has found himself in throughout the season. His teammate, Austin Dillon, took the checkered flag and secured a playoff berth.
Busch currently sits 148 points below the playoff elimination line, a safe distance from any chance of making it through the playoffs on points. Just one more regular-season race remains, at Daytona International Speedway. It will be his one final shot to get back to being a driver who contends for the title. But a Victory Lane visit with this type of form is nearly impossible.
