Barely Hanging on Kyle Busch Could Be Denny Hamlin’s Biggest Championship Thorn at Texas

NASCAR’s postseason certainly has seen a major heel turn with Denny Hamlin donning the villain person. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran ever since his clash with his HMS friend, Kyle Larson, hasn’t fared well with fans developing a strong dislike for the driver.

While the NASCAR nation has not been a fan of the veteran’s recent work, the 42-year-old is not at all bothered by it. In fact, Hamlin, much like his former JGR teammate, the “Rowdy” Kyle Busch, returned a stiff jab at the booing crowd when he said, “I beat your favorite driver.” 

Although Hamlin snatched Busch’s antagonistic persona, the Richard Childress Racing driver’s spectacular track record in Texas defies Hamlin’s hopes of advancing further and securing his first-ever title.

Amidst his shaky season with RCR, can Kyle Busch halt Denny Hamlin and his #11 Toyota’s advance?

Let us lay out the facts and numbers. For the 2-time Cup Series champion, Kyle Busch, 2023 has been a hit or miss so far. What started out as a strong season for the RCR Chevy driver now has turned bleak with his last win coming in Gateway. In the past 6 weeks, Busch’s #8 has been rattled with mechanical issues & improper race car setups.

To say the least, Busch’s regular season momentum, which got him into the playoffs, isn’t there anymore. While the 38-year-old racked up 3 stellar wins at the Auto-Club Speedway, Talladega, and Gateway in the first half of the regular season, the #8 Chevy is yet to make a mark in playoffs.

On the other hand, his former JGR teammate, Denny Hamlin is on a brilliant streak. The #11 JGR Toyota has been one of the most consistent cars on the field. He too has 3 wins under his belt and is comfortably perched in the 3rd spot with 3032 points. However, as the action heads to Texas for the first race in the playoff’s 2nd round, Busch’s impressive Texas track record raises multiple questions: Will he be able to hold off Hamlin? Or will the RCR Chevy’s inconsistency take Busch’s playoff hopes?

The short answer is Yes and No. For one, Busch has a good number of wins at the 1.5-mile intermediate track in Texas – 4. The “Rowdy” even broke his winless streak back in 2020 at Texas with a late rally, proving his strength in these intermediate tracks.

Now on the flip side, one slip or DNF in these crucial rounds is enough to squash his 3rd championship ambitions, given that he is just 5 points above the cutline at 6th position. Moreover, his team’s inability and constant trouble with their equipment has cast a shadow of doubt on the driver. And a slip will end up terrible for the 2-time champion.

To speculate even deeper, if Busch is to return to his winning ways, Denny Hamlin will certainly have a lot to handle. After all, a confident Kyle Busch is a force to be reckoned with.

WATCH THIS STORY: Kyle Busch exposes Richard Childress’ flaws as he beats his arch nemesis Joey Logano 

Busch feels confident about his upcoming Texas outing

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Just 13 points separate the former teammates, with Hamlin being 3 spots above Busch on the standings. In order to advance further into the chase, Busch will have 3 opportunities. First at the opening race in Texas, the next being the venue where the #8 Chevy racked up his 2nd win in Spring – Talladega and the other being a road course in Charlotte.

And as the playoff extravaganza reaches the gates of Texas Motor Speedway, Busch is looking to add a 5th Texas trophy to his collection. In fact, he revealed his optimism to Wsfa.com. He said, “I feel like the mile-and-a-half stuff has kind of been a little bit more of our strong suit than the short track stuff. So I think that kind of bodes well for us. The eight-car won there last year with Tyler Reddick. So I feel like that’s kind of a bonus.” 

Reflecting on the dramatic race here at Texas last year, he further added, “There were a lot of tire failures, a lot of guys that had issues, and all that stuff that was going on in that race. It was a bit of an ugly race. But you know, the #8 car ended up out on top, so hopefully, we can take some of that stuff that they had last year and work towards a comfortable driving car for me and a good feeling to where, you know, we’ll have a fast 3 CHI, Chevy, this weekend.” 

READ MORE: Kyle Busch Gets Schooled by His 8-Year-Old as He Learns How To Race Hours Before His Redemption Change at Texas