Viciously booed during prerace 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 by on the parade lap, Busch smugly raised his middle finger in salute.
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 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 in Richmond, Va.
That led to severe fan backlash against Busch, including 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 boos.
Busch, who leads Sprint Cup in points, is thriving as NASCAR’s villain, which very well could be the role of his lifetime. Overshadowed for three seasons at Hendrick Motorsports by Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, Busch is having a breakthrough year with Joe Gibbs Racing. His new team loves everything about him, from his edgy personality to a newfound swagger and the aggressive driving style that’s helped him to eight victories this season spanning NASCAR’s top three series.
“I like the balance that he has. I don’t have any problem with it,” crew chief Steve Addington said. “He fits in with our race team and his personality fits with this race team. That’s all that I’m worried about. I think that he fits in with the group of guys that’s on this 18 car — they are very passionate about what they do.
“He’s the same way about his driving and wanting to win trophies.”
The passion for winning never has wavered in Busch. But he hasn’t always been so comfortable being despised.
Busch, younger brother of 2004 Cup champion Kurt Busch, 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, even as those who have watched him grow know it’s not the one he wanted.
“I think if he had his choice, he wouldn’t be the villain,” said four-time series champion Gordon, Busch’s 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.
“He just needs to accept it, go with it, be himself. And I think there’s an opportunity here for him.”
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