“Tried to disconnect. That’s not easy for me to do.” Kyle Busch said these words during the only off weekend in 2025 for the NASCAR Cup Series. Spending time on the beach with his wife, Samantha, and cutting a chocolate cake could not stifle the driver’s concerns. After all, Busch’s time at Richard Childress Racing has been plagued by a 67-race winless streak. However, his former teammate, Denny Hamlin, tried to pat him on the back.

The two-time Cup Series champion is no longer young. Kyle Busch turned 40 on the 2nd of May, marking over two decades of stellar racing in NASCAR. While his legacy only grows stronger in fans’ memories, Busch’s stamina at the racetrack may not. So, Denny Hamlin has a solution for him.

Denny Hamlin rolls out life advice

Like a true spokesperson of the sport, right? Denny Hamlin’s words and analysis on his podcast ‘Actions Detrimental’ are already highly respected. Yet the Joe Gibbs Racing driver may have an extra edge of expertise in this new topic, as it is regarding his old teammate. Kyle Busch used to be a JGR driver and won both his Cup Series championships for the organization, along with being their winningest driver with 56 triumphs. Then, at the beginning of 2023, Busch joined a new team and a new OEM at a critical juncture of NASCAR, right after the Next-Gen car debuted. Wheeling the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, he clinched three victories in the first half of the 2023 season. But after that, the 8 team has been deafeningly silent on Victory Lane.

So, even as Kyle Busch turned 40, the nail-biting worries snowballed at the same time. As one grows older, one’s physical attributes start to evolve. Busch is no longer 16, an age when he was debarred from running a 2001 Truck Series race at California Speedway due to being too young to run a race sponsored by a tobacco company. Now, Busch adorns a nicotine sponsor himself!

While Busch’s career has come full circle at 40, he’s still not the oldest on the grid. Denny Hamlin, currently 44 years old and the oldest active driver in the sport, has sound advice for the aging RCR driver. Hamlin told Frontstretch in an interview: “To me, it’s just taking care of your body more. I mean, everyone’s different, everyone’s taken different hits throughout their career. But for me, personally, my body really changed at 40 to make it… I had to do tons more maintenance.” 

What is more? The Next-Gen car may be limiting the golden potential that Kyle Busch always had. Just a decade ago, Busch overcame a broken leg and serious injury to clinch a Cup Series title. Now, he is having to deal with factors beyond his control. Despite Goodyear trying to fix the short-track racing package, NASCAR’s Next-Gen car continues to disappoint drivers.

In light of his peers’ struggles with the new car, Denny Hamlin warmly spoke on Busch’s behalf, “I mean, he’s [Kyle Busch] doing everything that, you know, he’s still as good of a driver as I think he’s been in the last ten years. It’s just, sometimes, you kinda get to a car that doesn’t necessarily like your style and you have to adapt.”

Struggling to adapt to the Next-Gen car is something Busch has been open about in the past. In fact, it almost led him to retirement after leaving Joe Gibbs Racing! A few days ahead of his 40th birthday, Busch opened up about his mental state before moving to RCR. “I mean, it was a consideration three years ago… I think daily you kind of work through those things and those thoughts—where you want to be and what you want to do.” While Busch has been out of victory lane, it doesn’t mean he hasn’t been competitive. The run at COTA this year, where he led the most laps, showed that the Rowdy of old still exists, and with a little luck on his side, we’re sure he will be back in victory lane very soon.

And if NASCAR ever does take a backseat for Rowdy, Hamlin has a career alternative that fans would love.

Trending

1

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Former Crew Chief Makes Bold NASCAR Move Set To Power Up New Chassis Revolution

2

“RIP” – Brad Keselowski and Racing Family Joined in Mourning After the Loss of Close Confidant

3

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Recalls How Chase Elliott’s Father Antagonized the Intimidator Even Off the Track

4

Denny Hamlin’s Fiancée Joins NASCAR Fans as Wife Samantha Busch Honors Kyle Busch’s Big Day

5

Denny Hamlin Appeals to Joe Gibbs for a Move Away From the Cup Series Amid Declining Quality

Touting a career change

Well, Kyle Busch has accumulated a lifetime’s worth of accolades in NASCAR. Ever since his Cup Series debut in 2004, the legend has laid a glittering path of success. He has fetched 232 NASCAR national series victories so far, with record-breaking achievements. Busch is the record holder for wins in the Xfinity Series (102) and Truck Series wins (67). Then there are his fabulous Cup Series titles (2015, 2019). These trophies can easily lead a person to think: When will Busch retire? While he briefly contemplated it with JGR as aforementioned, his desire to continue racing was all down to a beautiful family by his side.

Busch intends to continue racing until his son Brexton turns 18 and we can witness father-son battles in NASCAR, and he also thanked his wife for making him feel younger: “I remember turning 30 and thinking that was going to be it. It is what it is. Samantha has made the best of that for me, where we celebrated my birthday on that trip. I don’t feel much older than I did five, six years ago. So that’s the good part of it. And I’m in pretty decent shape, so thankful for all of that.” However, Denny Hamlin wanted Busch to switch career paths soon.

The CW’s booth at the Las Vegas Xfinity Series race this year had a special guest. Kyle Busch called the race alongside Adam Alexander and Jamie McMurray. His charismatic voice and accurate calling impressed Denny Hamlin, who craved for more. Hamlin made some bold statements: “I want to give a shout-out to Kyle Busch. What a great job. He should quit racing. I thought he was good, man. He did really well. Really, really well. I know we’ve been giving CW flowers all year, their play-by-play and how they’re meshing, but I thought Kyle blended in there really well like he has been there for quite some time.”

Clearly, Denny Hamlin is weighing the odds for his past teammate. Will Kyle Busch pay heed to his advice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!