“Man, don’t worry, we’re going to win some races.” Richard Childress’ reassuring words even after facing 8 DNFs in 2024 persuaded Kyle Busch. Although he has yet to break that long winless streak, Rowdy is embarking on fresh sponsorship ventures this season. So Busch can relax and work on harnessing his past championship glory—a luxury that his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate cannot afford.

Within a span of four months, gaps have popped open in Denny Hamlin’s career. Coupled with the misery of losing his long-time crew chief, the veteran saw 20-year-old partner FedEx packing its bags and saying goodbye. Hamlin’s struggles starkly contrast with buoyant Kyle Busch’s prospects.

The glee is visible on Kyle Busch’s face

Well, the two-time Cup Series champion left Joe Gibbs Racing for a reason. At the end of 2022, two major sponsors of Kyle Busch’s car, Mars Inc. and M&M, left. Subsequently, reports emerged of Gibbs failing to provide Busch with new sponsors to make up for the pecuniary shortcoming. As a result, Busch jumped ship to Richard Childress Racing with immense risk, as he also shifted from Toyota to Chevrolet. After a three-win streak at the start of 2023, he launched into a long 59-race drought that has continued until today. But one thing has been enough to retain his seat in RCR—new sponsorships.

That is what Kyle Busch pointed out in a recent interview with NASCAR Xfinity Series veteran Kenny Wallace. The latter marveled at Busch’s glittering presence in Daytona: “In an aero where we had so many sponsors, it speaks very highly of you that you’re still the man.” Some of the sponsors included were Zone Premium Nicotine Pouches, Rebel Bourbon, Cheddar’s, and others. In a huge financial boost, Bank OZK will sponsor the No. 8 RCR Chevy for multiple races in 2025, starting at Miami in March. So Busch concurred: “True, thank you. I will take Kenny’s credit.”

This sharply contrasts Denny Hamlin’s situation. Along with FedEx, rumors of Mavis Tires leaving are only left to be confirmed. Kevin Harvick opined that Hamlin may have to face a Kyle Busch-like situation where the latter had to leave JGR in 2022. In the meantime, Busch hailed his RCR colleagues for selling him well, even better than JGR: “I gotta give kudos to the team at RCR. Those sales staff and the guys and girls that are behind the scenes that work all of that stuff, they do a tremendous job of being able to sell better than other teams.”

Unlike Kyle Busch’s apparent comfort, Denny Hamlin is riding some rough waves this season. The rumors may point to him leaving JGR, but Hamlin is thinking bigger than that.

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Is this the end of the line?

Denny Hamlin has achieved several laurels in the sport. Across two decades, he has picked up 54 Cup Series race wins, which include three prestigious Daytona 500 trophies. However, is the No. 11 JGR Toyota looking at an early exit sometime soon? The hints are in place and the timeline is as well.

After Martin Truex Jr. retired, Hamlin is now the oldest active driver in the sport. Then sponsorship woes are another indication. In the first week of February, Hamlin indicated in an interview that those may not be a factor for him but for his team. Yet his words in another interview reeked of an imminent departure immediately preceding the Daytona 500.

Denny Hamlin sat down with Fox Sports in a pre-race presser and answered whether he could see the finish line. He replied, “I definitely can.” Although the energy to keep pushing himself is still there, Hamlin said he understands the reality. “There’ll be a day when I wake up and I don’t have the skill set that I had before. I don’t know when that day is…don’t feel like it’s right now. I feel as sharp as I ever have behind the wheel…I’m no dummy…understand that Father Time is gonna feed you. Especially in our sport where reaction times are probably the most important thing.”

Evidently, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are in different storylines at present. Although concerns were more for Busch, right now the worry is piling up for Hamlin. We’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out.