Kyle Busch names Cup Series rival Denny Hamlin NASCAR's new villain

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has officially handed his title of the sport's villain over to Denny Hamlin.

The pair appeared together on Hamlin's Actions Detrimental podcast this week, with the 40-year-old Busch passing the mantle on to the 23XI Racing co-owner.

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Hamlin, who unveiled a flag after his Martinsville win reading '11 against the world' in reference to his racing number, has stepped into Busch's shoes as the Cup Series' pantomime villain in recent years.

The 44-year-old's infamous line when being booed after victory at Bristol in the 2023 Cup Series playoffs, 'I beat your favorite driver – all of them', has been retired, but the spirit behind it lives on.

Hamlin: Fans finally seeing Busch for who he truly is

Busch admitted on the podcast that his extended winless streak has taken away some of his ability to talk trash and be the bad guy, saying: “When you can be winning, when you can have the clout to be able to back up what you say, you can do it all.

"You can act a fool all you want because you can back it up. I have nothing to back it up right now, so I had to put the black hat on the shelf and pull out the white one.”

Hamlin, four years Busch's senior, noted that he believes fans are seeing a softer side to the 2015 and 2019 champion as he raises his kids, saying: “I think fans are seeing you – especially as a dad – for how you truly are.

"Sometimes, I thought when you were younger, your fiercest rival was yourself because you were so intense, that people would read that into that’s not really how Kyle is as a person, that’s who he is as a racer. That’s in the ring. You can do that when you do the things he does behind the wheel.”

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