Denny Hamlin recalls pranking Kyle Busch after getting 'whamboozled' by him

Denny Hamlin shared a hilarious story of pranking Kyle Busch after getting 'whamboozled' by him during the Championship Four press tour in 2019. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver sat with his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate for an episode of his podcast, Actions Detrimental, where they discussed a bet that was settled in an unexpected way

In 2019, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr, Kevin Harvick, and Denny Hamlin were making the rounds in New York City, promoting NASCAR's championship week. As they sat stuck in traffic, Busch bet that he could run to the hotel faster than they could drive there.

After accepting and much to Hamlin's surprise, Busch made it to the hotel before they could and had to pay up for losing the bet. He and Truex Jr took the opportunity to prank Busch by delivering the debt in pennies.

In an Instagram reel, Hamlin shared an excerpt from the day of the bet and the ensuing prank.

"We're in New York City, we're roughly five miles from the hotel. He says he can run to the hotel quicker than we're going to get there by car," Denny Hamlin said.

Perplexed by Busch's feat, Hamlin acknowledged that he was caught off guard by how he pulled it off.

"We're out of the car, we've lost the bet, and we just realized, we got whamboozled," he added.

Addressing the prank that followed, Hamlin captioned the post:

"He got paid $1000 in pennies 😂"

In the Championship Four race, Kyle Busch went on to best his rivals with a commanding victory at Homestead-Miami. The result netted him his fifth win of the season, along with his second Cup championship after 2015. Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, began from pole position but lost out from an unscheduled pit stop that ultimately placed him 10th.

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Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch trade laughs over their babies' due dates

During a lighthearted moment on Actions Detrimental, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch joked about the timing of their children's due date coinciding with the numbers associated with their on-track rivals. Busch joked about how he made sure his son, Brexton, wasn't born on the 22nd, the racing number of his longtime rival Joey Logano.

"So Brexton’s due date was on the 22nd, and I was like, we are not having a Logano baby. F**k that! I was like, is 18 an option?" Busch said [1:17:58 onwards].

Hamlin added how he intends to do the same for the birth of his third child, whose due date lands on the number of another rival, Ross Chastain.

"Jordan is due the first [of June]. There's no way we can have a [Ross] Chastain baby," he replied.

Moreover, Denny Hamlin is set to race in the Coca-Cola 600 during the Memorial Day weekend, which also aligns with the due date of his third child. When asked if he plans to be at his partner's side in the hospital, Hamlin replied (via Actions Detrimental):

“Yeah, of course. There’s a new rule, though, right? You can miss a race for a birth and not lose your playoff points, or have to get a waiver? I’m going to need the Cliff Notes on all the new rule stuff, and we’ll go over that next week.”

In the Next Gen Era, Hamlin has posted two top-five finishes in the crown jewel event, including a win in 2022. As such, he looks to bounce back at Charlotte Motor Speedway after suffering back-to-back DNFs at Texas and Kansas.