Top 15 Most Hated Drivers in NASCAR History

15. Kyle Petty

Coming into sport with the surname of the 200 times Cup race winner, Kyle Petty had huge shoes to fill. His failure to come close to Richard Petty’s success made many calls him as a nepo-product overlooking his good NASCAR career. He has earned the love of the fans after hie retirement with his role as a broadcaster and impressive charity ventures.

14. Robbie Gordon

One of NASCAR’s biggest hot heads, Robbie Gordon earned more haters than fans in his career. Many couldn’t overlook his fights and rule-breaking, to see him as a great racing talent.

13. Danica Patrick

NASCAR most successful female driver is hated for getting more spotlight than her more accomplished rivals. Many still considers her as overhyped and underserving of a career at the top of her sport. Her controversial comments over the years also haven’t helped.

12. Brad Keselowski

One of NASCAR’s most intelligent drivers on and off the track, 2012 Cup champion Keselowski was hated by fans for his aggression on the track and no-nonsense approach towards racing. Having beef with fan favorites like Carl Edwards also didn’t help. Now as a owner driver at RFK Racing, he has earned some love of the fans.

11.. Rusty Wallace

There was a time when some fans hated Rusty Wallace, who is now one of the most beloved Superstars in the sport history. His aggressive personality and racing style alongside the controversies he has found himself in for years gave him a bad name.

10. Darrell Waltrip

Another misunderstood persona, one of NASCAR biggest personalities in the 70s–’80s, Waltrip was known for his no-nonsense approach. He was even nicknamed the Jaws for being cocky and a good trash talker. But now he is one of the most loved racers from his era, with fans realizing his worth late after his prime.

9. Jimmie Johnson

One of the most dominant force NASCAR has ever seen, Jimmie Johnson is often hated for all the wrong reasons. The seven times Cup champion is seen as the man who made NASCAR racing boring by some.

8. Ty Gibbs

JGR owner Joe Gibbs’ grandson, fans see a silver spoon racer in Ty Gibbs despite him being a Xfinity Series champion. Nepotism claims alongside his over aggressive as well slightly entitled attitude earned him a lot of haters.

7. Tony Stewart

One of the biggest charters the sports has ever seen, it would have been a surprise if Stewart didn’t become a NASCAR villain. His temper, fights on and off the track, controversies in the media made him a dividing presence. Him selling SHR in 2024 also gave him a negative PR.

6. Kurt Busch

The first of the two Busch brother to features in the list, the 2004 Cup champion was one of the most disliked racers in the sport history. Being a journeyman, early career meltdown, and personal feuds earned him a bad PR. But he was able to earn back the fans love and end his career as one of the most beloved.

5. Bubba Wallace

NASCAR most successful black driver ever, just like Danica Patrick, Wallace is hated for having more spotlight as well as his involvement in some controversial decision from the sanctioning body that angered the conservative fan base. His bold comments and aggressive incidents on the track also didn’t help. But now he is getting on the good side of some fans with more matured attitude on and off the track.

4. Joey Logano

The sliced bread, Joey Logano was and is still one of the most hated drivers on the grid owing to his aggressive racing style. Winning three championships in the playoff ear with clutch runs, defeating fan favorites made him more enemies.

3. Jeff Gordon

A NASCAR Mount Rushmore racer, Jeff Gordon earned haters earlier in his career by dominating over the veteran of the sport in the 90s and later was disliked for his corporate racer image. But he was able to end his career as a beloved racer.

2. Kyle Busch

One of NASCAR’s most successful drivers with over 230+ from all three national series, Kyle Busch earned the respect of driver in the garage. But among fans it took him decades to get over the hate he earned due to his Cocky attitude, constant drama, and on-track aggression from early NASCAR years.

1. Denny Hamlin

Another Joe Gibbs Racing driver, the best racer ever to not win a championship in NASCAR, Denny Hamlin became NASCAR most hated when he feuded with almost every fan favorite racer over the years. His confident/arrogant personality also didn’t help.