Kyle Busch has arguably had one of the worst starts to his Cup series season ever. The No.8 driver has remained in the lower half of the pack and has a solitary podium finish so far. However, his plight could be attributed to RCR’s underwhelming run in the past few races, which has urged Denny Hamlin to defend his former rival from the allegations of being washed.

Denny Hamlin has been leading the front for JGR and currently stands fourth in the regular season standings. The 43-year-old has won three races so far and is considered by many to achieve his maiden title win this season. On the contrary, Kyle Busch has been having an abysmal season, as he has only achieved two top five positions after an impressive run last year. This led multiple experts to lament RCR’s subpar form and claim that the No.8 driver is nowhere near a win this season.

I just don’t believe that to be Kyle Busch. I just don’t. you know you’ve seen interviews from Kyle in the past and he’s had the oh-well attitude. But on the inside, he is full of fire. And when the camera turns off, he’ll then be the fiery Kyle Busch. But I don’t know this is different than what I have seen before. You’re not going to turn off the competitive juices of someone like Kyle Busch. It just doesn’t turn off.

Denny Hamlin said via Action Detrimental Podcast.

However, such statements were not entertained by the JGR driver, who asserted that the Busch we all know is still here. He then claimed the 39-year-old to be full of fire inside and reckoned that he was waiting to demonstrate his prowess and to prove his critics wrong, as the competitiveness within a driver does not go away such easily.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. follows in line to support Kyle Busch

While Hamlin defended Busch during his rough patch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. also jumped in to support the former double world champion. The NASCAR Hall of Famer argued that Busch is one of the best drivers in the field.

Do you know that [he] is one of the best drivers? The pressure has to be on RCR here. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in his podcast.

Earnhardt claimed that pressure is currently piling up on the RCR squad. Moreover, the team needs to find a resolution to their woes soon, or else a world champion like Busch could switch over to other stables.

I'm just saying we know he's talented, we know he can drive, I also believe that he's likely doing all of the things off the track. I believe he would be very vocal about things that he thinks they can do to get better. I say that because a lot of times when a driver gets in this situation, they disappear, they go off, and they hide and they distance themselves and it creates bigger problem.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

On the other hand, the former driver asserted that the No.8 driver is not like other drivers who would fear the challenge and is facing the rough patch like a true racing driver. Thus, he anticipates the 39-year-old to shine through the tough time and prove his worth to the NASCAR field.

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