Denny Hamlin says NASCAR rival Kyle Busch 'still as good' as he was a decade ago

NASCAR star Denny Hamlin believes two-time Cup Series rival Kyle Busch is still as good as he was 10 years ago.

Busch celebrated his 40th birthday on May 2 and has enjoyed a raft of tributes to celebrate the milestone, including one from Joe Gibbs Racing president Dave Alpern.

Hamlin, who is 44 years old himself, was asked if he had any advice for Busch since he turned 40 and responded: “To me, it's just taking care of your body more.

“I mean, everyone is different and everyone has taken different hits throughout their career, but for me personally, my body really changed at 42.

“I had to do tons more maintenance but he is doing everything, he’s still as good of a driver as I think he’s been in the last 10 years.

“It's just sometimes you get to a car that doesn’t necessarily like your style and you have to adapt.”

Busch celebrates 40th birthday

Busch revealed his low-key birthday celebrations to celebrate turning 40, where he and his wife, Samantha, took a short vacation during the NASCAR break.

The 40-year-old discussed his recent birthday in an interview with Frontstretch, where he compared himself to Hamlin and his ability to still win races.

“Here we are today, kind of reminiscing on that. Wanting to get back to the ways of being competitive and up front, and winning races,” he said.

“Denny has done a great job. He’s 43-44, he’s still winning races, winning them at more than one clip a year, so that’s admirable and something that I wanna do.

“It’s just 40, it’s just a number.”

READ MORE: NASCAR team chief admits Kyle Busch was 'second choice' signing

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