Oh look, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch keep talking about each other. Where is that eating-popcorn emoji when you need it? Buschs season is on a skid. He sits 27th in the Cup standings and his status as a free agent after this year is questionable. So it's no surprise that the talk about the future of the two-time Cup champion is a hot topic. Hamlin talked about Busch at length on his "Actions Detrimental" podcast on April 13. Busch then reacted during his media scrum Saturday at Kansas. Hamlin, on the FOX pre-race show, addressed those comments last Sunday. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is a former Busch teammate, as Busch drove 15 seasons for JGR. Hamlin pretty much avoided the topic on his podcast on Monday. But Busch was on Sean Hannitys "Hang Out With Sean Hannity" podcast this week talking even more about Hamlin. Among the initial comments from Hamlin were him calling out Buschs performance, even comparing it to Busch's RCR teammate Austin Dillon who is 25th in the standings. "Clearly, RCR is not good right now. But youre a Hall of Fame, Mount Rushmore driver. Carry it better than your teammate then. If youre the greatest, then carry it better than your teammate whos won 10 races [in his career]. Find a way. I think that thats what he should be able to do. But its not happening. Its time to be honest about whats going on. I think hes searching. I think that he doesnt know how to get the speed out of the Next Gen car on a consistent basis." The drivers certainly have had their run-ins, but there had been mutual respect between the two. Hamlin, who has 61 career Cup wins and sits two victories behind Busch, said, "I cant hold the guys helmet talent-wise." And few would think that Busch is happy about getting outrun by Hamlin especially considering Hamlin was able to stay at JGR but Busch couldnt get a deal done to remain with the team after M&Ms left following the 2022 season. "If Denny wants to switch cars, Ill switch cars with him any day of the week, any time. I would love for him to show he can carry it better than I can," Busch told The Athletic's Jeff Gluck on Saturday at Kansas. "In this instance, I dont feel like Denny Hamlin even knows what hes talking about. He can bash me all he wants, and I can certainly make his life hell." Hamlin was asked on the FOX pre-race show on Sunday about giving his opinion on his podcast while knowing there could be retribution for it. "I felt like I was being gentle in trying to share the blame all around because I think theres enough to go around," Hamlin said. "I know this: I was teammates with Kyle Busch. And I know he taught me by far more than any teammate I ever was with. "The reason Im decent on these mile-and-a-halfs is because of Kyle Busch. I know what hes capable of, and I know hes not loving where hes at because he is a tough competitor. I am rooting for him because the sport needs the old Kyle Busch." Busch, on Hannitys show, said he doesnt talk to Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Carson Hocevar. And then he was asked about Hamlin. "He has got his own podcast, and hes been running his mouth lately. So he might get run into again soon," Busch told Hannity. "Hes been telling me that Im washed up and I cant drive anymore ... He wants to say I cant drive this new Next Gen race car, and Im falling behind and Im slow and whatever old-man syndrome." Both Busch and Hamlin said over the last couple of weeks that the bigger teams were able to separate themselves from RCR since the introduction of the Next Gen car. RCR was initially strong, Busch said on the Hannity show, because it played a pivotal role in the development of the car. He also said after his third win for the team in 2023, that NASCAR saw something in the gray area that RCR was doing that it didnt like and told the team it wouldn't be allowed at future races. "[RCR] were ahead of the game. They were ahead of everybody else [in 2022]," Busch explained. "As everybody has learned this car, the little tricks of the trade, the little things that youve got to do, now the Gibbs and Penskes and the Hendricks have got it all figured out. And they are the top teams and we havent really come up with any more advancements to it. "And so weve fallen behind." On his podcast, Hamlin addressed the Busch situation briefly, as his producers were asking him who is the hardest driver to root for right now. They laughed, knowing that it was a way to talk about Busch. "I was as gentle as I felt like I should have been. ... Im rooting for him," Hamlin said, before referring to Busch by his car number. "Lets go 8."