“What Is That Solving?”: Denny Hamlin Shuts Down Talks on Removing ‘Kyle Busch Rule’

When NASCAR announced on August 18, 2025, that the Xfinity Series would rebrand as the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series beginning in 2026, it didn’t just mark a sponsorship shift; it reopened conversations about the series’ future. It was fine till here, but then, NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell’s sit-down with Eric Estepp added fuel by reviving talk about removing the 2017 “Kyle Busch Rule” that capped the drivers’ participation at five starts a year for Xfinity and Truck races. It is informally named after Kyle Busch, as he was and still is the most dominant Cup series driver to win in Xfinity and Truck races. This suggestion made further chatter and quickly made its way into the podcast space, with Denny Hamlin putting the spotlight on whether such a change was even necessary.

That raised the core question: should NASCAR loosen a rule that Cup drivers barely test anymore, or is the system working as intended? Hamlin has his own way of looking at it, much like he does with everything else. His words with Jared Allen only added fuel to a debate that carried on all week.

Hamlin questions the logic behind loosening the ‘Busch’ rule

During a recent episode of his Action Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin tackled the ongoing debate over Cup drivers potentially running more Xfinity Series races. Hamlin was quick to challenge the premise, stating, “I don’t know why there’s a need for that. I think Ross Chastain is the only person that has run actually five. That is an unnecessary rule change.” He pointed out that Chastain’s five starts in 2025 were the only instance of a driver reaching the limit, suggesting that the rule isn’t being overly restrictive in the first place.

For Hamlin, the current structure already allows Xfinity regulars to compete against each other while occasionally being tested against Cup talent, a balance he sees as sufficient. He elaborated, “I like seeing the Xfinity regulars going down there and competing against themselves. Every now and then a cup driver goes in there and they kinda set a bar. It also lets you evaluate the Xfinity talent that’s in there, but I don’t open it back up. I don’t know, someone’s got to explain to me what is the reason behind it.”

Hamlin’s remarks highlight his view that the series thrives under the existing limitations, with Cup drivers acting more as benchmarks rather than constant participants, preserving the integrity and competitive opportunities for the Xfinity roster. Then, he further emphasized the point by questioning the need for change at all.

Responding to Allen’s comment that the move would be “fixing something that’s not broken,” he said, “Correct. The Xfinity ratings are fine. My question is, what are we doing? What is that solving?” He pointed out that, with only Ross Chastain reaching the five-race limit, there is no widespread demand for extra Cup starts. “Yeah, it’s not something that moves our sport forward. I don’t think so,” Hamlin concluded, underscoring his stance that the Busch Rule remains effective and any modification would be solving a problem that simply doesn’t exist.

Hamlin highlights Xfinity struggles and proposes fix

In the wake of NASCAR announcing O’Reilly Auto Parts as the new title sponsor for the second-tier series in 2026, Denny Hamlin has raised concerns over the financial fragility of the Xfinity Series. Speaking on his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin noted that many teams are struggling to cover costs despite smaller purse boosts, such as the $4,000 bonus for 31st-35th at Daytona.

He explained, “Well, there’s just limited, because whatever their cost is, obviously, there’s not nearly enough purse money or team money to support what it costs… if you don’t have a sponsor in your pocket that is willing to sponsor… nobody until you tell them who to sponsor, you rely on the driver to bring that sponsor, or their family or whoever.” Hamlin cited his own 23XI Racing’s 2025 decision to select Riley Herbst, backed by Monster Energy, over Corey Heim, despite Heim’s superior Truck Series resume, as an example of how sponsorship often outweighs merit.

Hamlin also pointed to structural challenges for Xfinity teams, particularly the loss of older Cup cars as hand-me-downs. “It’s going to happen to the Xfinity series as well. Those guys are running on cars that are old…And so that just really takes a toll on the teams and drives up their costs,” he said. With Next Gen Cup hardware incompatible with Xfinity vehicles, teams now face the added expense of building new cars rather than refurbishing older models.

Using Parker Kligerman as a case study, Hamlin highlighted the economic imbalance: “The guy makes more talking about the drivers than actually being a driver… He could have a ride, but it doesn’t pay anything… And he would be taking a massive pay cut by being a star in the Xfinity Series vs being an announcer for the Xfinity Series. That…will continue to hamper the best talent.” As a potential fix, he suggested, “You’re gonna need something like this, where one of the top teams… I’m gonna be okay with 2-3 pay drivers and then one seat for whoever I actually…think is pretty good”.

Denny Hamlin’s comments highlight the dual challenge facing NASCAR’s second-tier division: maintaining competitive integrity under the Busch Rule while addressing the financial strain that limits opportunities for emerging talent.