Has Denny Hamlin Really Stolen Kyle Busch’s Crown as NASCAR’s Most Hated?

For a long time, Kyle Busch was regarded as one of the most hated NASCAR drivers. In fact, he was someone that people just loved to hate, and at times, he knew it. Part of it is down to his abrasive attitude, which many were not particularly fond of. Additionally, there was his aggressive driving on the racetrack, which often led to collisions. There was one particularly egregious incident between him and Ron Hornaday Jr, which is etched in the memories of most NASCAR fans. Now though, his former teammate Denny Hamlin seems to be the new bad guy in NASCAR.

In NASCAR’s 75 years, fans have had their favorites, and there was always an antagonist. One of the earliest ‘villains’ was Darrell Waltrip, before he was replaced by Dale Earnhardt. The ‘Intimidator’ carried the mantle for a while until he began his 7-title run, and everyone soon loved him. Then Busch came along with his brash exterior and the NASCAR fandom found their new villain.

What was the Ron Hornaday Jr incident?

Back in 2011 at the Texas Motor Speedway, the Truck Series was gearing up for the penultimate race. Busch started the race in fourth place, while Hornaday Jr was a bit further behind in 9th. It didn’t take long for the two drivers to get into close proximity with each other. Fairly early in the race, there was contact between the two drivers, and Busch lost his temper. The #18 truck driver got into the back of Hornaday and punted him into the wall, taking himself out as well.

What makes this worse is that Hornaday Jr was a championship contender. As a part-time racer, Kyle Busch had no stakes at all and had nothing to lose. To put things into perspective, Ron Hornaday was 15 points away from championship leader Austin Dillon, before Texas. Owing to this saga, that gap widened to 48 points, ensuring that he was pretty much out of contention. NASCAR was not impressed with Busch’s stunt and parked Busch for the rest of the race.

READ MORE: Kyle Busch’s Closest Insider Exposes the Driver’s Biggest Flaw

What was people’s first impression of Kyle Busch in his early years?

In the early 2000s, when he made his debut, fans were often irritated with Busch. To be precise, whenever he lost a race, he had a tendency to whine and complain, and that grated on peoples’ ears. Then, Busch committed one of the biggest cardinal sins in NASCAR, going after the sport’s darling, Dale Earnhardt Jr. In Busch’s defense, he was in the Hendrick Motorsports stable for a few years, however, he was soon let go, and the one to replace him was none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr himself.

Although he often insisted in front of the cameras that he bore no ill will, his other comments say otherwise. Whenever Dale Jr underperformed, Busch was often ready with carping comments. He would insinuate that it was never Junior’s fault and that it was always the crew chief’s fault. In essence, he implied that Dale Jr. was not a very good driver, and that invited the wrath of Jr Nation.

He was also infamous for smart-aleck comments during interviews. Granted, a certain Finnish F1 champion was also legendary for his don’t care attitude and smart-aleck comments, but he is much beloved for it. Also, considering that Busch has been incredibly successful, it only made people want to see his downfall all the more painful. Now, that downfall has come in the form of the 2022 season and his final year with Joe Gibbs. Suddenly, people are sympathetic towards Busch as he slowly builds up Richard Childress Racing.

The rise of a new villain in Denny Hamlin

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After Busch seemingly turned over a new leaf, NASCAR needed a new antagonist. Ladies and gentlemen, allow us to introduce the driver of the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Denny Hamlin. Hamlin has become a driver that people now love to hate. It was hugely evident at the Bristol Motor Speedway when he won the race, but people booed him. Now, back in the day, Hamlin was a likeable driver and the poster boy of the underdog story.

In 2005, he was just a fresh-faced rookie and was seen as an upcoming talent. Admittedly, he had a bit of a feud with Kyle Petty and a few minor rivalries. However, one particular race became a turning point in his popularity. Coincidentally, it was also in the same race that Kyle Busch incurred the wrath of Jr Nation. In that very race at Richmond, Hamlin dominated the proceedings, but it soon became clear that his tires were dropping.

This soon put him in the clutches of Busch and Dale Jr. The two of them soon passed him, but on the last lap, Hamlin stopped. Initially, some were sympathetic, but he inexplicably fired up his car and tried to drive back to the pits. Of course, Busch was still the Public Enemy Number 1, some also disliked Hamlin for his move.

Was Toyota at fault for Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch being disliked?

At the moment, Chevrolet and Ford are the only American companies in NASCAR, while Toyota is foreign. So when Toyota drivers began doing well, it gave Chevy and Ford fans some common ground; hate the most prominent Toyota drivers. This theory also stands as Kyle Busch, after moving to a Chevy team, is no longer hated that much.

Has Hamlin embraced the NASCAR Villain title?

Later on, Hamlin committed the cardinal sin of going after the current popular star driver. That was none other than Hendrick Motorsports driver, Chase Elliott. At the Martinsville Speedway, he spun Elliott out of the race, and some enraged fans even tried to confront him on the pit road. Another reason why fans hate him is that he wins a lot, and as he crowed out in Bristol, he beat ‘everyone’s favorite drivers’, which was all of them.

Some fans were also not particularly fond of his opinions on the sport. Admittedly, Hamlin has gained some fans for his podcast, Actions Detrimental. However, the large majority of fans don’t like it when he does something on the track and defends himself on his podcast. Few people also did not appreciate his stunt against Kyle Larson at Pocono earlier this year, where he made a very bold move against the #5 driver despite already having a place in the playoffs.

In the end, the #11 driver is not earning too many favors and has probably replaced former teammate Kyle Busch as the most hated driver. And this is something that has come from himself.

Back in July, when asked by Large, of the ‘Rubbin is Racing’ podcast if he has started to embrace “this villain thing,” Hamlin said, “I think there was a time to uh reel that back in but I just think that there’s no going back at this point. I think that I’ve adapted my style to match those who have uh been I’ve deemed aggressive in the past.”

“And honestly, I’ve gotten the bad end of it enough throughout my career that I’ve said you know what I’ve just got to change my style and if it means that I have to be more aggressive on the racetrack to get more wins that’s what I have to do because that’s what everyone has been willing on to do over the last five years or so the aggression level has gone up.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Kyle Busch Joins the NASCAR Grid in Making Brad Keselowski the Butt of Their Jokes