NASCAR has seen its fair share of “bad boys” in the past 75 years—even welcomed them. But there must be something about Kyle “Rowdy” Busch that has made him the official “bad boy” of NASCAR. He is indiscreet, but that does not mean that Busch does not apologize where apologies are due. In his recent appearance on The Residency Podcast, Busch reminisced about his on-field mess-ups, brawls, and rivalries—the most notable of them being his run-ins with Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott.

During the podcast, the show’s co-host asked Busch about the level of intensity of competitiveness between him and other NASCAR drivers. While talking about his relationship with his fellow drivers, Busch said, “There are some personalities that you just don’t get along with. You don’t like […] I don’t talk to them at all.

“And then there’s other guys that you know you can be cordial with. You might mess up and get into them, or crash them, or they might hit you, or whatever. But after the race is over, you know there’s no hard feelings and you can pat each other on the back and go on the next week.”

Kyle Busch talks about his “great battles” with Kyle Larson

Furthermore, the Richard Childress Racing driver revealed that one of the best examples of a healthy competition rivalry was his run-ins with Kyle Larson. He said, “I think the most notable one of that for me is probably Kyle Larson. Him and I have had some great battles over the years where we’ve raced really hard and we’ve doored each other and we’ve ran into each other and he’s put me in the wall and I’d spun him out.

But after the race is over we get out and shake hands and just know like ‘Okay man! That was fun but we’ll either keep doing that or we’re gonna be clean the next time and it’s been good.”

Clearly, Busch’s relationship with Larson displays a good sportsman spirit. However, Larson is not the only Hendrick Motorsports driver that Busch has tangled with. In 2020, Busch admitted that he mistakenly spun Chase Elliott while he was running second in the race.

Did the Rowdy image make it difficult for Chase Elliott fans to believe him? 

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While talking about his run-in with Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch admitted, “So, other times I have made mistakes and run into the sports’ Most Popular Driver twice. And that doesn’t go over well with the fans. They don’t like that.

“And I’m like ‘Arghhhh…’ But I screwed up. I made a mistake.”

READ MORE: “Unfortunately, I Wasn’t One” – Kyle Busch Gets Candid on NASCAR’s New Aerodynamic Package Coming Up in Phoenix

However, when it comes to Chase Elliott, it is difficult for any driver to prove his innocence to NASCAR fans, let alone Busch.

While talking about how most people thought, “‘Kyle Busch doesn’t make those types of mistakes, he did that on purpose…that was malicious,’ Busch explained, “But I am like ‘Guys! Hold up a second. Like my bad, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hit him.’

But that’s what you get when you carry yourself to that standard sometimes too.”

It’s true that Busch is famous for his explosive on-track and off-track personality. However, this personality often lands him in trouble when his honest apology is often considered insincere by fans.

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