'Certainly unacceptable,' Denny Hamlin sounds off on Kyle Busch's Texas move

Denny Hamlin did not hold back when discussing Kyle Busch’s late-race retaliation against John Hunter Nemechek, publicly condemning the aggressive maneuver at Texas Motor Speedway as completely out of line.

The dramatic final laps of Sunday’s Cup Series race saw a routine battle for 12th place devolve into a costly wreck that ruined the afternoon for two veterans. Busch and Nemechek initially made contact on the backstretch with just two laps remaining, sending Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet bouncing off the outside wall.

Moments later, as the pair entered turn three, Busch aggressively door-slammed the Legacy Motor Club driver in what appeared to be clear retaliation, sending Nemechek crashing hard into the barrier.

Speaking on the latest episode of his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, Hamlin dissected the controversy and firmly placed the blame on his former teammate. “What happened in turn three was certainly unacceptable,” Hamlin noted, directly addressing the decision-making process inside the No. 8 car.

1. Hamlin Questions the Texas Hash Marks

The incident took a strange turn when Busch attempted to explain his side of the story. Following the race, Busch claimed he was judging the distance between his car, Nemechek, and the wall by looking at the hash marks painted on the track surface. Hamlin found that explanation baffling. The veteran driver pointed out that relying on painted lines on a 1.5-mile track while navigating heavy traffic at high speeds is highly unusual. “I heard Kyle say, ‘Well, the 42 had two feet to the wall, and I was judging my left side tires by the hash marks down the back,’” Hamlin remarked on his podcast. “I’m like, ‘Hash marks down the back?’ It’s weird. I didn’t know those hash marks existed.” While Hamlin acknowledged that Busch is exceptionally talented at finding visual cues like braking markers, he argued that basic aerodynamics should have dictated the situation. “From an aerodynamic standpoint, Kyle, you’re not going to want to be up-close to the outside cars. The 42, being that he’s still outside, the spotter is still calling he’s out there, he’s at your quarter panel, you don’t want to crowd him. That’s just going to dump air on your spoiler and make you go slower down the straightaway,” Hamlin said.

2. The Social Media Fallout

The on-track contact immediately spilled over into the digital space, highlighting a fracture between two drivers with a significant history. Nemechek, who drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, was left fuming on his team radio. He safely nursed his damaged Toyota to pit road, ultimately finishing 21st as the first car one lap down. Shortly after climbing out of the car, Nemechek took to social media to express his frustration, stating that he had a great day going before getting wrecked, and openly questioning Busch’s character. Busch fired back online, sharing telemetry data and placing the blame squarely on the younger driver.

3. Hamlin Rules Out the Need for a Penalty

Despite condemning the move, Hamlin does not believe NASCAR needs to step in and issue a penalty against the Richard Childress Racing driver. “I’m seeing his fan accounts. They’re pretty down right now on him. In sports, there’s fouls that get called and there’s some fouls that don’t. I don’t think it really (expletive) matters considering where he is in points. The money, who cares about that? If you’re rooting for a penalty, for what? It doesn’t change anything,” Hamlin said. For Hamlin, the current state of Busch’s season is punishment enough. Busch recently underwent a crew chief change, bringing in Andy Street to replace Jim Pohlman, yet the struggles continue. Through 11 races this season, Busch has managed just one top-10 finish and sits a dismal 26th in the Cup Series points standings. He has not visited Victory Lane since June of 2023. As the Cup Series packs up and heads to the next track on the schedule, the garage will be watching closely to see how NASCAR officiates aggressive driving moving forward. More importantly, all eyes will be on Busch and Nemechek to see if this Texas feud carries over, or if both drivers will choose to focus on salvaging their respective seasons.

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• Denny Hamlin
• Kyle Busch