“If you’re expecting Kyle Busch to just go back to Victory Lane on a regular basis, you are kidding yourselves.” This is what Denny Hamlin claimed on the Actions Detrimental podcast, little over a month ago, as Busch’s struggle with the #8 team continued. While the two drivers exchanging a flurry of verbal jabs isn’t exactly new, a sudden tone shift is what’s surprised many.

Kyle Busch has had a performance surge ever since Andy Street took control as his crew chief after the race at Talladega. After what seemed to be the worst start to a season in his entire career, Busch has finally managed to hop back into the top 10 finishes. While this does not give him a straight contention for the championship, it does give a strong reply to Hamlin.

“He said it backstage, and then he said it again on the stage. You know, his little comment of, ‘I guess I still know how to do it.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, awesome job, man. It’s a good job.’ I don’t know what you’d say. I said you’re on the Mount Rushmore of NASCAR drivers. I mean, I think it’s awesome,” Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast.

Although Kyle Busch has been struggling since joining Richard Childress Racing in the 2023 season, he still managed to deliver a few decent performances up until this year. However, once he was paired with crew chief Jim Pohlman, it wasn’t hard to tell that the two did not work well together.

“It’s the same sh*t every week,” he had remarked at Bristol when Busch was struggling with the car and ultimately finished 25 in that race.

This was not uncommon, and right after the race at Talladega, Richard Childress moved Pohlman into a different role within the team and moved Andy Street up as the #8 team’s crew chief. Since then, Busch has been on a roll. He was competing well within the top 10 at Texas (up until that late incident with John Hunter Nemechek), and then finished in eighth place at Watkins Glen. This was followed by yet another top 20 finish at Dover during the All-Star race.

“I guess I just remembered how to drive,” he told the media ahead of the All-Star race. “It’s [Andy] Street. I don’t know what he’s doing differently, you know?”

While he did credit Street for his contribution as crew chief, it was apparent that Kyle Busch also felt a sense of improvement in his driving. And when it came to Denny Hamlin, who had doubted him for a long time, he predicted that “something has to change” within the team for Busch to get back on top:

“You’re going to be very disappointed. I just think that until we change cars or something changes, something has to change. I don’t know what.”

And now that the ‘Rowdy’ certainly has something to smirk over, Hamlin has had a sudden change in his tone regarding the two-time Cup champion:

“I think it’s really good for him for the track time, and I think it’s good for him on the mental state […] I think, you know, if this puts him back on the track of being competitive, I am for Kyle Busch running every Friday and Saturday race.”

With this massive improvement, Busch’s plans to move away from RCR also seem to be fading.

Kyle Busch to likely continue with RCR

“I’m full in; I’m all committed. I’ve never probably worked as much in these last four years as I did in 15 at JGR,” Kyle Busch recently said, commenting on the work he has done with Richard Childress Racing so far.

However, this was rather surprising.

Until his crew chief was replaced, it was understood that Busch would depart from RCR at the end of this season, given that he didn’t have a contract with the team for the future. Spire Motorsports was one of the teams he was associated with, considering his wins in the Truck Series with the team.

Additionally, it is apparent that Childress and Busch share a mutual dedication to making the team more competitive, and it seems to be working right now. Although his recent finishes do not make him a title contender this year in any way, it showcases a positive trajectory for the future. Moreover, Spire does not seem to be letting go of their current Cup Series lineup, despite the success Busch brings them in the Truck Series.

At the end of the day, Busch seems entitled to send out those indirect replies to Denny Hamlin, and it is also a positive sign for the sport to have the latter back to appreciating the ‘Rowdy.’