Denny Hamlin: Kyle Busch era in NASCAR may be over: 'It’s not working'

Elizabeth Flores, USA TODAY Tue, April 14, 2026 at 3:17 PM UTC

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Denny Hamlin isn’t mincing words when he said Kyle Busch’s era in NASCAR could be over, and he didn’t hold back in explaining why he believes that Busch has been struggling for years.

On the latest episode of the "Actions Detrimental" podcast, Hamlin laid out his case: Busch has battled since the moment he arrived at Richard Childress Racing. Nearly three years have passed since his last win at Gateway, his RCR teammates are outperforming him, and the decline is impossible to ignore.

Hamlin added that Busch appears ill-suited to the NextGen car, arguing that his three wins in 2023 came when the field was still learning its setups. Now that the competition has caught up, Busch has been left behind.

"If you’re expecting Kyle Busch to just go back to Victory Lane, you’re going to be very disappointed," Hamlin said on the podcast. "I’m not in his shoes. I’m not his crew chief, his engineer, or his team owner. I’m just a podcaster who happens to be on the racetrack 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."

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1 / 0See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winnersMarch 8: Ryan Blaney celebrates winning the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway.

All three of Busch's 2023 wins came in a four-month stretch: the Pala Casino 400 in February, the GEICO 500 in April, and the Enjoy Illinois 300 in June.

More: Denny Hamlin emotional after NASCAR career win No. 61 in Las Vegas

Busch currently sits 24th in the Cup Series standings. His 25th-place finish in Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol marked his fourth consecutive race outside the top 20.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Denny Hamlin gives blunt opinion on Kyle Busch's NASCAR struggles

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