The last seasonal run at Daytona was quite eventful. From Brad Keselowski running in circles under the red flag, to Ryan Preece‘s #41 flipping 10 times, this race saw it all. Denny Hamlin returned from Florida with indomitable pride as his driver, Bubba Wallace, made it into his first playoffs. All in all, Daytona lived up to its reputation.
What is NASCAR without insider information and behind-the-scenes drama? Although it is one of the most high-value sports in America, NASCAR is an entertainment business as well. In an episode of his podcast, Denny Hamlin was shocked to hear something unbelievable. His co-host, Jared Allen, even clicked a picture of the unthinkable and Hamlin demanded to see it.
Moments before the Daytona race, someone left Denny Hamlin hanging
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In a recent episode of Actions Detrimental, Denny Hamlin and his co-host Jared Allen talked about the retirement of Kurt Busch at Daytona. While the JGR driver was expressing how great Busch has been all throughout his career, Allen drew his friend’s attention to something funny.
Apparently, moments before the race, Kurt Busch had come over to the radio from where Jared was speaking. Not to mention Denny Hamlin was there and so was his crew chief, Chris Gabehart. Seeing Kurt, both extended their hands for a handshake, but then, it happened.
Allen said, “Obviously, Kurt’s gonna pick one of them so he shakes Gabehart’s hand and you kind of just, oh, I was just going there for the spoiler, anyway.”
Denny was in utter disbelief when he heard that Kurt Busch chose his crew chief over him. Although he had totally missed that out, the 7-time Pocono winner faked being hurt and exclaimed, “Oh man, Josh Harris (Joe Gibbs Racing sponsor) would have never done that to me. Kurt… he chose Gabehart. Oh man!
Watch this story: NASCAR Fans Savagely Trash Denny Hamlin for Wrecking Himself at Sonoma
Jared stated that he even had a picture of the awkward moment when Kurt reached out his hand. “I got to see it,” said Denny Hamlin as he burst out into laughter.
Among several commotions, Daytona witnessed the emotional end of Kurt Busch’s racing career
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The 2004 Cup champion Kurt Busch announced the end of his career as a race car driver at Daytona, the very track where he won back in 2017. Last year, Busch had suffered from a fearsome accident during the qualifying laps at Pocono Raceway and since then, he has not recovered entirely.
Although Michael Jordan knew better than to fire his valuable employee, Busch realized that he did not have the stamina that is needed in top-tier stock car racing anymore. The 45-year-old 23XI Racing driver holds a cup title along with 34 Cup race wins, including the 2010 Coca-Cola 600 victory. With over 160 top-5s in 776 starts that he has made throughout his career, the elder Busch laid his crown down.
When he tweeted a heartfelt collage of several highlights from his career on his Twitter account, veteran NASCAR drivers wished him luck for his future life.
Thank you to everyone who helped me accomplish my dream. pic.twitter.com/QiNiqSx0U4
— Kurt Busch (@KurtBusch) August 26, 2023
Skewcar commented, “WE WILL MISS YOU KURT!!!!! Hope to see you at the track in some way still!”
Monster Energy said, “Thanks for letting us be along for the ride. You’re the man, Kurt 🤘 “
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15-time most popular driver and two-time Xfinity champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. left his opinion on what made Kurt Busch the amazing driver that he has been all throughout his career. He said, “Kurt’s a heck of a driver, but what his best quality was IMO, he made every team he raced for better. Several teams always improved with him behind the wheel.”
23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick wished Busch luck and wrote, “Enjoy life Hot shoe”
Even the officials at Daytona International Speedway said, ” We 🫶 you, Kurt! Thank you and congrats on such an amazing career.”
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Not only that, Tony Stewart’s team left their heartiest wishes in the comment section; “Thank you for all the memories! Congratulations on a great career.”
Read more: “Way to Go Girl!” – Kurt Busch Offers Helping Hand as Hailie Deegan Claims Best Ever Finish in SRX