Kyle Busch Discloses 5-Word Secret Behind NASCAR Community’s Shift of Hatred Towards Denny Hamlin

Kyle Busch may not be a hated driver anymore, but he definitely feels for Denny Hamlin, who has replaced him to become NASCAR’s new anti-hero. At almost every single track, the Joe Gibbs star is booed, not that it matters to him that much. Kyle Busch, Denny’s predecessor in garnering “fan affection” recently opened up about one of the possible reasons behind why the hate must have shifted from him to the driver of the #11.

Kyle Busch was one of the most brash drivers in the Cup Series during his early days. It was during that time he earned his ‘Rowdy’ nickname and fans loved to hate him. In 2023, Rowdy is a loved man. He finished second on the list behind Chase Elliott as NASCAR’s most popular driver.

Kyle Busch gives Jeff Gordon’s example to explain how the tables have turned

Busch is currently in Nashville for the NASCAR Awards Ceremony where he revealed why fans’ mentality towards him has changed. Rowdy mentioned that it had a lot to do with him not winning as many races as he used to, back in his heydays.

“When you’re young, you know you come in and start beating up on the guys that have been here for a while. People don’t really take well to that. So you’re not very well-liked and especially doing it the brash way that I did early on, it certainly got some more eyeballs on my name. But you know, as I’ve gotten a little bit older, as I’ve matured a little bit, as I’ve not won as often, people are starting to be like, ‘Hey man that guy used to win all the time but I’m going to pull for him, I want him to win, let’s see him win some more’,” Busch said.

The veteran racer used the example of Jeff Gordon to explain his point. Gordon was not a popular man when he was at his peak during the late 1990s. However, as time went by and wins were few and far stretched, fans developed a soft spot for the 4-time Cup Series champion.

“How many times did Jeff Gordon get booed after a win like in the late 90s especially and then I mean his last win that he had in Martinsville, the crowd went nuts. Times change and the tables turn,” Rowdy recalled.

However, when it comes to Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch joked that he doesn’t believe that his former teammate will ever be able to get out of being booed almost everywhere. “Yeah, he won’t ever come out of that,” he said.

Perhaps Denny Hamlin did remind Kyle Busch of his earlier days in the Cup Series. Soon after commenting on the JGR man, Rowdy recalled what it was like when he used to get booed and how things have changed.

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Rowdy recalls the times he used to get booed during driver intros

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Rowdy revealed how back in the day, he never looked up to the screen during driver’s introductory sessions, as he knew that he was the target of the boos. Now, Kyle Busch admitted that he does look up once in a while to see who is getting all the hate instead of him.

“I remember having the boos and the boos being pretty loud during driver intros walking across the stage. Well, it was on me so I didn’t have to look up at the screen to see who it was but now when you’re already done with driver intros or you’re backstage, behind driver intros and you hear it, you’re like, ‘Wait, who was that?’,” the Richard Childress Racing man added.

Kyle’s transition from being hated to loved is certainly an interesting story. With Denny Hamlin taking over the reins, do you think the hate is justified?

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