Jeff Gordon Fans Might Not Like Denny Hamlin’s Big Claim on Kyle Busch’s Legacy

In the 2023 NASCAR Cup season, Kyle Busch has been in rip-roaring form. The 2-time Cup Series champion has already broken the record for the most consecutive seasons with a race win. Last weekend, he triumphed at the World Wide Technology Raceway after starting from pole position. This marks his third win of the current campaign, making him a favorite for the championship fight. In light of this, former teammate Denny Hamlin made an interesting comment on his podcast. Though it is safe to say that this comment would not go down well with Jeff Gordon fans.

Hamlin mentioned on his podcast, “He is. He is and he isn’t, but he is. We were talking about after the race, it was just like, ‘Wow he’s got three wins?’ I don’t know why it just sticks in my head, the poor runs that they’ve had. When they’re fast, he wins and he finishes really well. He probably needs to be on the Mount Rushmore of Greatest Drivers. The numbers back it up, he is a great, elite, exceptional race car driver.”

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Denny Hamlin has a theory about Richard Childress Racing brewing in his head

The #11 driver showered plenty of praise on his ex-JGR teammate. However, he knew that there have been races where the Richard Childress Racing team was not as strong. Nevertheless, he insists that Kyle Busch is a great driver and the statistics are on his side. Meanwhile, Hamlin himself is still hunting for his first Cup championship, despite coming close several times.

However, Hamlin’s Mt. Rushmore comment wouldn’t be well-received by Jeff Gordon fans, due to the statistics. After all, no one will be able to dislodge Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, and Richard Petty. But Gordon is right up there among them and has more wins than both Johnson and Earnhardt. Busch, with 63 wins, still has a long way to go if he is to surpass Gordon’s 93 wins and four Cup championships.

However, Denny Hamlin did observe something interesting, “I’m noticing a trend with that RCR and #8 team. Anywhere that Tyler Reddick had ran well last year, they’re fast. Anywhere that they struggled, they’re not good. There’s something going on there that, when Tyler ran up front, Kyle’s going to be good. You could just bookmark it.

“It could be a sim thing, it could be a lot of different variables, but talking about Kyle’s performance this weekend, it was first class, elite. He qualified on the pole and even when he got put back in traffic, he could make up a couple of spots and make speed.”

Hamlin pinpointed the moment he knew he was in trouble

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Of course, the #11 star was also in the running for the race win, and he was desperate. During the final restart, Hamlin knew that he had to pull out all the stops, so he ensured that he had track position. However, it seemed that Kyle Busch had the same idea because he was right on Hamlin’s tail. Later on, Busch opted to run the outside lane with Kyle Larson in his slipstream.

Feb 5, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11), driver Kyle Busch (8) and driver Martin Truex Jr. (19) during the NASCAR Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

Naturally, Denny Hamlin knew that his priority was clearing Larson at Turn 2, or else he would be in trouble. Safe to say, that prediction came true, which meant that both cars sailed past him. According to Hamlin, Kyle Busch was simply exceptional, and he put himself in the right spot and drove the wheels off of the car.

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