-
Follow Us
On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
For those new to NASCAR, Kyle Busch getting cheers and Denny Hamlin getting a chorus of boos just seems like the natural order of things. However, it was just a few years ago when Busch was the one on the receiving end of the jeers.
Rowdy has long been a controversial figure in NASCAR, at least for many fans. From his rivalries with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, and many other drivers to his signature bow after a win.
Many years, Kyle Busch was the most hated driver in the Cup Series. Now, he is like an elder statesman. He drives for RCR in a Chevy, not JGR in a Toyota. For a lot of fans, that’s enough to make him their new favorite.
In that void, Denny Hamlin has stepped up and embraced the role of the bad guy. He’s the heel that NASCAR needs. It’s helped Busch step into his new role even more.
“It does, it does [help],” Busch told Kevin Harvick on his Harvick Happy Hour podcast. “I think it swung that way a lot faster because… I’ve had fans come up to me all the time, like ‘Hey we love you being with Richard, this is great. You’re the racer’s racer of today, and you’re the only one left, and blah blah blah,’ that stuff. … The other fact too, of the fans like, ‘Man, you’re back in a Chevy, we love you in a Chevy,’ and all this sort of stuff.
“So, I’m like, okay this is, this is good, I’m going to be okay. I can run with this. The fan perception and reaction and Rowdy Nation’s always been great. I’ve got so many fans of mine that I’ve known over the years and we’re on a first-name basis when I see them at autograph sessions. So, that’s always really really cool. But Denny has taken the torch and turned the flame up on it.”
Fan perception of @KyleBusch is changing. A new team – and @DennyHamlin – has helped. #NASCAR @KevinHarvick
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) February 22, 2024
New Episodehttps://t.co/yrElmfUe1m pic.twitter.com/Zgq7uVT5mf
There might be another season why NASCAR fans are rooting for Kyle Busch.
Kyle Busch is starting to get to the ‘end of the road’
Kevin Harvick is retired. The last of the Winston Cup Series era drivers has left the sport as a racer. So, the next up on that list, really, is Kyle Busch. Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin – these are the old guard now.
In NASCAR, there has always been a few drivers who go from hated to beloved later in their careers. Dale Earnhardt wasn’t always a popular guy. Fans loved to hate The Intimidator.
The same can be said for Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and others. Late in their careers, though, fans start to come around. They realize the timeframe on these drivers is dwindling, and so they take the time to appreciate greatness while it is still here.
Kyle Busch might be going through that same thing right now.
“The only other thing about that though, is a lot of the great drivers, Earnhardt for instance or Jeff Gordon, or Dale Jarrett, or Mark Martin – I guess Mark doesn’t apply, but Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson they do,” Busch continued with Harvick. “They get a lot of boos, they win too much, they get a lot of boos.
“Then towards the end of their careers, they don’t really win as much, so the cheers kind of start coming, people start realizing, ‘Okay, they’re getting towards the end of the road, we’ll pull for him now, he’s okay.’ So, maybe that means I’m getting to the end of the road, so I don’t know.”
Kyle Busch has yet to reach 40 years old, and if he keeps winning races, why would he hang it up? However, there is no denying he has fewer Cup Series races ahead of him than behind him at this point.
More must-reads:
- Watch: NASCAR drivers exchange punches after crash in All-Star Race
- Four things we learned from Joey Logano's All-Star Race win at North Wilkesboro
- The 'Most triple-doubles in the postseason' quiz
Breaking News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
