Star NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin have been teammates for the past 15 years as members of Joe Gibbs Racing, but their time together is coming to a close as Busch is headed to Richard Childress Racing in 2023.
On Tuesday, Hamlin sent a Tweet congratulating his longtime teammate on the career move, but he also couldn’t help sneaking in a little playful jab at the end.
“Congratulations to @KyleBusch and @RCRracing. This is a great opportunity for both parties to team up and win races for years to come. Thank you Kyle for being such a great teammate for the last 15 years. Good luck on the next chapter of your career. The timing could not be better.” Hamlin said in a Tweet.
That last line “the timing could not be better” is a playful jab at Hamlin and Richard Childress Racing. The line is in reference to RCR’s response to Tyler Reddick leaving the team to join 23XI – a team partially owned by Hamlin.
“We’re proud of the success Tyler Reddick has found at Richard Childress Racing,” RCR said in a statement. “We’re focused on winning a championship in 2022 and 2023, although the timing of this announcement could not be any worse.”
The NASCAR world took note of Hamlin’s troll attempt.
https://t.co/hN50lxqPF8 pic.twitter.com/tsnvsUAeEV
— Steve Benko (@SteveBenko) September 13, 2022
That last line though haha https://t.co/sg9iOX7Suz
— Nick DeGroot (@ndegroot89) September 13, 2022
Class act. https://t.co/nAUJUuO0dj
— Jeff Owens (@jeffowens_jeff) September 13, 2022
Loving the dig @dennyhamlin took with the last sentence. https://t.co/eU5VDazHzO
— Matthew Selz (@theselzman) September 13, 2022
Little hidden message there perhaps…..
https://t.co/ItocizaRti — Whit Blattner
VP of #RowdyNation (@blattner1975) September 13, 2022
With Busch joining RCR and taking over the No. 8 car, Reddick will drive a third car for the team until his move to 23XI in 2024.