Although Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin may have engaged in some internal rivalry during their time together at Joe Gibbs Racing, neither publicly acknowledged competing against the other. Following his win at Darlington, Hamlin admitted at the race shop that the chance to tie Busch as the team’s winningest driver served as extra motivation to reach Victory Lane.
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Still, the competitive fire never spilled over into animosity. Hamlin held Busch in high regard then, and continues to do so, and the respect appears mutual, with Busch now aiming to mirror the #11 driver’s accomplishments.
Though Busch recently has hit a rough patch. After a strong start to his tenure with Richard Childress Racing in 2023, when he scored three wins during the regular season, he has since struggled to find his footing. Despite flashes of speed in 2024, the results didn’t go in his favor, and for the first time in 19 years, he went an entire season without a win.
This season also, although Busch has managed to bag a few good spots. With one top-five — at COTA where he led the highest number of laps — and three top-10s, he is still trying to find the point from where he can win a race and cement his spot in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Hamlin, 44, has hit the ground running in the 2025 Cup Series season and currently holds third place in the standings after ten races. At this pace, he could soon close in on Busch’s mark of 63 Cup victories. Busch, who turned 40 on May 2, reflected on his own aspirations.
He said, “Wanting to just get back to the ways of being competitive and up front and winning races and carry that like Denny has. I mean, Denny’s done a great job. He’s 43/44, still winning races, winning them at more than one a clip a year. So, that’s admirable and something that I want to do.”
When asked about what stood out to him the most this week as he crossed the 40-year milestone, Busch said he found himself looking back. He recalled the years when multiple wins came season after season and when he poured everything into keeping Kyle Busch Motorsports alive. Now, he’s made peace with the idea that some things may not have been meant to last.
At this point, his focus is simple: put in the work, stay competitive, and find his rhythm again, just as Hamlin has managed to do.
