Denny Hamlin interviewed fellow driver Kyle Busch on his podcast Actions Detrimental recently. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver answered as to why he doesn’t want Busch to win that many races. He said that he wants to end up in the top 10 winningest drivers in NASCAR’s all-time win list.
Busch is one of NASCAR’s most accomplished drivers, known for his aggressive driving style, outspoken personality and record-breaking achievements. He has captured two Cup Series championships (2015 and 2019). As of 2025, Busch has 63 Cup Series wins, 102 Xfinity Series wins, and 67 Truck Series wins.
Denny Hamlin explained his reasoning for not wanting Kyle Busch to win many more races. He spoke about wanting to pass Busch on the all-time wins list:
"I would've exceeded my goals because my goal was to get to 60. There's others that are going to pass, possibly both of us. Larson's on his way, yeah. Logano has a chance if he wins, you know, on average three races a year. It's harder to do than what it sounds.... I'd love to finish inside the top ten on winners."
Kyle Busch added:
"I just think it's going to be hard if we continue to run next-gen cars for people to win that many races. Well, the other issue too is like if you're not Gibbs, Hendrick, or Penske, you're not probably going to win multiple a year."
As of May 2025, Denny Hamlin has 56 Cup Series wins. He entered the 2025 season on the back of a strong 2024 season where he finished eighth in the final standings with three wins. He is currently ranked seventh in the standings with two wins, five top-five finishes and six top-tens.
Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin double down on NASCAR’s problematic fix
Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin have voiced strong criticism of NASCAR’s current use of composite bodies on the Next Gen Cup cars, blaming them for the increasingly aggressive and contact-heavy racing seen in recent seasons.
On the Actions Detrimental podcast, both drivers argued that the durability of composite body panels encourages drivers to be less cautious, as cars can withstand more contact without suffering significant performance loss.
"We all don't know how to freaking drive. It's the composite bodies. That's what it is. Everybody just runs into everybody and runs over everybody and hits everybody, hits the wall because we all just bank on the fact that the body's just going to pop back out and we're going to be fine," Busch said on the podcast (1:05:39 onwards)
Busch, referencing his chaotic crash at Kansas Speedway, explained that drivers now routinely "run into everybody" because they know the car’s body will "just pop back out", unlike the older steel-bodied cars that punished even minor contact with bent fenders and ruined aerodynamics.
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