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Has Kyle Busch truly shed his villain image, or is he still NASCAR's most polarizing figure?

Ever since Kyle Busch moved on to Richard Childress Racing, the NASCAR fans have become more receptive of him. There was a time when even a race win by Rowdy would be greeted by jeers and boos, but that’s not the case anymore. Thanks to the likes of Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain, Busch no longer is the villain of NASCAR.

But that doesn’t mean he’s completely accepted by the NASCAR community. It’s fair to say that Kyle Busch can ruffle some feathers with his brash and unfiltered opinion, but this time around he’s accused of deliberately ignoring a race fan.

Did Kyle Busch intentionally ignore greeting a young race fan?

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The RCR star isn’t one of those drivers whose racing is affected by how the fans treat him in general. If anything, he’s embraced the love-hate relations he’s had with the racing community over the years. “If you love ya some Rowdy, let me hear you go Booo.” This is one of the memorable moments from the driver’s introduction that sums up Busch’s equation with the fans.

But despite this friction, he’s garnered a loyal fan following. Most of them flock to racetracks in the hope of meeting their favorite driver. However, this race fan didn’t have the best of experiences as he narrated a story about Busch turning a blind eye towards one of his friends at Darlington Raceway.

“Busch walks by kids begging for autographs at tracks when he isn’t busy. His wife had to grab him at Darlington &make him sign my friends merchandise. Stephen hates him to this day as a result & immediately gave away all his snickers gear.your son is better off w/o him involved.” A fan shared this story on X. This was a reply to a post where a father was asking for a birthday shout-out for his son, who was turning 9. And Kyle Busch was one of his favorite NASCAR drivers.

Now, we don’t see Rowdy being active on social media platforms regularly. But, he had to intervene and clear the air about this story, which was doing the rounds on social media. Not getting into the details of it, Busch simply wrote, “Fake news.” On the contrary, Bush certainly made a fan’s wish come true at Phoenix, who had traveled to meet him all the way from Switzerland. The fan made a sign where he told Busch of a simple request he had after traveling 5685 miles to see his favorite NASCAR driver. Rowdy obliged. Following the race, he walked over to the fan and signed the fan’s cap and banner. Even the Las Vegas Motor Speedway account gave Busch a shoutout on X.

What’s your perspective on:

Has Kyle Busch truly shed his villain image, or is he still NASCAR's most polarizing figure?

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It’s not the first time Kyle Busch came out to fact-check fans on X (formerly Twitter). Back in 2019, the driver faced similar accusations of not paying attention to fans who simply wanted a moment of his time. Unlike his 2024 post, Busch laid out the facts for everyone to see, posting pictures clicked with young fans right before he walked over to the media session.

The 2024 NASCAR season by no means was a success for Rowdy or his #8 RCR team. However, rather than taking a break from racing, the 39-year-old has signed up for dirt racing events and will make his Chili Bowl debut in January.

Rowdy is looking to make the most of this off-season

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NASCAR racing has drastically changed over the last few years. The roll-out of the new race car, followed by limited to almost no practice sessions, has made it difficult for Busch to get back in his groove and compete for wins. While NASCAR isn’t going to change the format to please a single driver, the RCR driver has found an avenue to keep his racing juices flowing.

In a surprise move, the 2-time Cup Series champion announced that he will make his debut at the iconic Chili Bowl Nationals this January. He will pilot a Lucas Oil midget car in partnership with Flo Racing and potentially compete against his fellow NASCAR rivals like Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson. The two drivers have previously won the crown of this iconic race event, but they are yet to confirm their participation.

Busch will also run a couple of USAC National Midget races at Bakersfield and Ventura Raceway to prepare for the big event. “The Cup Season may be over, but the racing season is still in full swing, with the biggest event on dirt taking place over the next couple of months. The Chili Bowl is a legendary event and has always been on my wish-list. To be able to compete there, and then alongside my son Brexton at Tulsa Shootout, is making this year one to remember,” the RCR star commented.

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Hopefully, the midget debut turns out to be a good one for Kyle Busch, and without the pressure of NASCAR, he is likely to enjoy this new form of racing. Something he hasn’t been able to do this year driving the No. 8 RCR Chevy in the Cup Series.

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