'Bad boy' Busch good at winning races, not fans
DARLINGTON, S.C. - Kyle Busch is NASCAR's most hated driver. And he loves it.
Viciously booed during introductions, Busch soaked up the venom by encouraging Saturday night's crowd at Darlington Raceway to keep it coming. And when he heard a member of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew jeer him as he passed on the parade lap, Busch smugly flipped him the bird.
This kid doesn't need to be popular, not as long as he's winning races.
"I don't care. I'm here to race. I'm here to win," Busch said. "If I win, it just makes 'em more upset and crying on their way home."
Busch won his third Sprint Cup Series race of the season Saturday night, exactly one week after he alienated "Junior Nation" by wrecking Earnhardt as the two jockeyed for the lead three laps from the finish at Richmond, Va.
It led to severe fan backlash against Busch, which included a thunderous razzing when he appeared on stage with his mom in a prerace Mother's Day tribute. He sarcastically wiped a fake tear from his eye, then incited the crowd by cupping his ear and raising his arms as if to ask for more booing.
Busch is thriving as NASCAR's villain, which very well could be the role of his lifetime. Overshadowed for three seasons at Hendrick Motorsports by his successful and levelheaded teammates, he's having a breakthrough year with Joe Gibbs Racing. His new team loves everything about him, from his edgy personality to the aggressive driving style that's helped him to eight victories this season spanning NASCAR's top three series.
The passion for winning never has wavered in Busch. But he's not always been so comfortable being despised. The younger brother of 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch, Kyle came into NASCAR as a jaded 18-year-old who had seen his brother resoundingly rejected by NASCAR's traditional fan base. Those same fans already had made up their mind about Kyle, and earning acceptance was an uphill battle. Five years later, he's finally accepting this "Bad Boy" role.
"I think if he had his choice, he wouldn't be the villain," said four-time series champion Jeff Gordon, a former Hendrick teammate. "I know Kyle's a good guy and he's an incredibly talented race car driver. He just gets himself into situations, you know, that it just follows him."
