In the world of motorsport racing, there is constant pressure to improve performance. Joe Gibbs Racing felt that pressure after the 2024 season, when they decided to move things around with the #11 team. Denny Hamlin missed the Championship 4 for the third straight year after making the playoffs, extending his title drought to 20 years. With the loss of FedEx and Mavis Tires as sponsors for the 2025 season, to add to a new crew chief at the helm, things could go either way for the #11 in 2025.

Another driver who faced a similar dilemma while at Joe Gibbs Racing was Kyle Busch. The Rowdy won two Cup Series Championships in 2015 and 2019 and solidified his place as a JGR legend. However, a lack of sponsors and a sour end to his tenure there saw him move to Richard Childress Racing, where the struggles have piled on. NASCAR veteran, Kevin Harvick fears that Hamlin might go the Busch route in 2025 if things go awry.

Why did Kevin Harvick compare Denny Hamlin with Kyle Busch?

On his show Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, he invited NASCAR’s insiders to decode the season preview. Harvick asked Bob Pockrass if Denny Hamlin’s fate was that of being a ‘Kyle Busch 2.0’ for Joe Gibbs Racing. This season reflects on a do-or-die situation for Hamiln’s driving career in NASCAR. Quite in a similar position to where Kyle Busch was. To which Bob Pockrass explained, “I think Denny rides the wave a little bit better than Kyle Busch does.” Further added, “The good thing about Denny having all these other things going on.” He added, “He can have the distraction from if he struggles a little bit week to week that maybe it doesn’t, gnaw at him as much.”

Considering Denny’s potential and the opportunity he still has with JGR, Harvick said, “I feel like it could be [Kyle Busch] 2.0 if it doesn’t start well, just because he has so many other options on his side of the world to really focus on. But, I mean, this sport is crazy, and it could go in a 100 different directions.” He explained, “But I think with the respect that he has for Joe Gibbs and his scenario with the 11 car and everything. I mean, he’s gonna put a ton of work into it…We have so many of those scenarios that it’s just a matter of if it clicks, for driver-crew chief. And, you know, I think it could go a number of different ways in several scenarios with several of these situations.”

Denny Hamlin does have the distractions, as Pockrass mentioned. Firstly, he has a whole other team on the grid, of which he is co-owner along with Michael Jordan: 23XI Racing. To add to that, this very team is fighting a lawsuit against NASCAR, which will take place during the season. Hamlin certainly can take his mind off driving if it does get too tough, but on the flip side, it could all get too much as well. Meanwhile, the Kyle Busch comparison feels like hitting the nail on the head.

Kyle Busch has witnessed a similar situation with JGR, where he had to leave the team after 15 years. What reason? Sponsorship issue. The exit of his longstanding sponsors, Mars Inc. and M&M’s, at the end of 2022, left him without the financial support of any primary sponsors. Unlike Hamlin, Busch said that JGR wanted him to drive without a sponsor in 2023. Busch spoke to the Athletic in 2024 and said, “They [Joe Gibbs Racing] offered me a contract to race there and they weren’t going to have sponsorship on the car, but I didn’t feel like that was fair for the 15 years that I was there; I didn’t want Joe putting his own money into the program.”

After that, he joined Richard Childress Racing for 2023, which was also full of risks and uncertainty for him after his transit, as the team didn’t have a single championship over 3 decades. And to add to his misery, Busch failed to secure a win in the 2024 season with RCR, for the first time in his career. Would Hamlin see the same fate if he left JGR? Well, JGR has pulled through for Hamlin this time, unlike Kyle Buch.

Considering Denny’s situation, uncertainties exist, but his strong relationship with Joe Gibbs is undeniable. Although Denny lost his prominent sponsor, FedEx, and Mavis Tires, this isn’t the end of an era for him. JGR has some big sponsors who are pulling over the life jacket for him. But now the matter of fact is, will he be able to live up to their expectations of him? Hamlin would be the first to tell you he lives by no one else’s expectations of himself. However, with his career in the twilight years, maybe meeting those expectations might be necessary.

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Hamlin has a bunch of sponsors coming in for 2025

Denny Hamlin got a multi-year deal with prominent sponsors to kick-start this season on a high note. Sport Clips and King’s Hawaiian joined JGR’s trusted journey. King’s Hawaiian will cover 4 races, including, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Daytona International Speedway in Aug. Bristol Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway. And Sport Clips will act as his season-long associate sponsor. This isn’t the only change he is witnessing, as National Debt Relief will also sponsor Denny for 4 races, a big one stepping in, for the Daytona 500, Circuit of The Americas, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Talladega Superspeedway.

Denny Hamlin said, “National Debt Relief is going to be a great asset to our team,” He added, “Growing up, my parents did everything possible to further my racing career, and that was obviously not easy financially. So, I understand the reality that so many people are facing and the uncertainty that financial hardship can bring. I’m excited about this partnership and the opportunity we have to promote National Debt Relief’s services that allow people to get out of debt and get their life back on track.”

Well, this isn’t it, as his old crew chief Chris Gabehart got on a new role as a Director of Racing at JGR, making him pair with Chris Gayle as crew chief. The two will carry their experience together this time in 2025, Let’s see how he will keep up with his performance. Amidst welcoming of so much financial support, along with JGR’s 18-race winless streak, the pressure will be on for Hamlin to perform. Will his two Daytona 500 wins give him that edge he needs to start the season on a high? Time will tell.