Kevin Harvick has compared Denny Hamlin to Kyle Busch as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver prepares for a do-or-die NASCAR Cup Series season.
Kevin Harvick has voiced his concerns with Denny Hamlin comparing JGR star to Kyle Busch (Image: Getty)
NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick has voiced his concerns over Denny Hamlin’s future at Joe Gibbs Racing, comparing his situation to Kyle Busch three years ago after losing FedEx and Mavis Tires as sponsors. Hamlin missed out on a spot in the Championship 4 in 2024 for the third straight year after confidently declaring he’d finally be crowned Cup Series champion earlier in the season.
His title drought has now extended to 20 years, and he has suffered sponsorship losses worth around $25 million a season. This dilemma echoes a similar one two-time champion Busch faced at Joe Gibbs Racing before his 2022 departure to Richard Childress. The 2025 season is now deemed do-or-die for Hamlin.
NASCAR legend Harvick voiced his concerns on his podcast alongside the sport’s insider Bob Pockrass. “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,” Harvick said. “But, I mean, this sport is crazy, and it could go in a 100 different directions. 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.”
“I think Denny rides the wave a little bit better than Kyle Busch does,” Pockrass also said. “The good thing about Denny having all these other things going on. 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.
Hamlin lost two sponsors following the 2024 season (Image: Getty)
Nonetheless, Hamlin is looking forward to the 2025 Cup Series season, which starts next month. The Daytona 500 on Feb. 16 will be the first points race of the new campaign, and Hamlin has announced a new sponsor.
Sport Clips and King’s Hawaiian have joined forces with Hamlin, with the former a season-long partnership. National Debt Relief will also sponsor Hamlin for four races. “National Debt Relief is going to be a great asset to our team,” Hamlin said.
“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.
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