"We have to gather more evidence": When Denny Hamlin doubted Kyle Busch beating a car to a hotel on foot in New York

NASCAR legends Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin once entered a hysterical bet days prior to their Cup Series championship clash in 2019. The bet ended with Busch beating his Championship 4 competitors days before actually beating them on track at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 2019 NASCAR Cup Series campaign featured a star-studded season finale. Four racing legends and future Hall of Famers, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. fought tooth and nail for the championship, with the final standings featuring some of the closest point gaps among the Championship 4 drivers in the sport's history.

However, days before the fateful finale in Miami, a bet was placed among these four drivers, one that made up for pure drama. The four drivers, promoting the championship finale in New York City, were stuck in heavy traffic on their way back to their hotel. As a result, Kyle Busch decided to take matters into his own feet.

The then-Joe Gibbs Racing driver claimed he could beat the van to the hotel on foot, turning the journey into an impromptu race. Swapping his shoes for running gear and accompanied by a cameraman, Busch mapped out a walking route and set off on his sprint.

While the van continued to slowly inch forward, Busch ran through the streets of New York. Surprisingly, he reached the hotel in approximately 20 minutes and FaceTimed his competitors, who were still stuck in the van, to declare victory.

"Are you sure you didn't just jump in the shower," asked a bamboozled Denny Hamlin upon finding out. [2:50 onwards]

"This is record pace," he said. "I did not think he'd be able to maintain the pace. I mean, we're roughly at a 7-minute mile, right?"

4.5-minute mile, it was, to which, a confused Hamlin remarked:

"There's something dumb done that up, folks. We're gonna have to gather more information, get more evidence, but by the numbers, he averaged a 4 and a half-minute mile."

The drivers joked about it a little more as Hamlin tried to get to the root of this unbelievable feat by Kyle Busche who claimed that he actually did it.

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How did Kyle Busch beat Denny Hamlin and co?

Kyle Busch (right) talks with Denny Hamlin (left) on pit road during qualifying for the DuraMAX Drydene 400 - Source: Imagn

The result of his sprint led to Busch leaving Hamlin shell-shocked. The latter continued to wonder, accusing his teammate of foul play. He said:

"Somebody's full of s*** here! I'm not sure who. I mean, I don't know, I guess more video evidence to come. But, so far, it's inconclusive."

Eventually, the truth came to light. While the van’s driving route showed the hotel was five miles away, Busch had mapped out a walking route that reduced the distance to less than two miles. The shortcut ended up giving Busch the edge, leading to him winning the bet.

On the fateful championship clash days later, it was Kyle Busch once again who emerged victorious. The Las Vegas native captured his second Cup title, beating teammate and runner-up Martin Truex Jr. by a tight margin. Kevin Harvick finished the race in P4, and Denny Hamlin, the tenth-place finisher, was ranked fourth in the Championship standings.