Dale Earnhardt Jr. names the successor of Kyle Busch as the ‘most booed driver’ in NASCAR

Dale Jr. believes Denny Hamlin has soured a lot of fans with his on-and-off tracks antics over the last few years.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. names the successor of Kyle Busch as the ‘most booed driver’ in NASCAR

Kyle Busch (Credits: @RCR/Twitter) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Credits: IMAGO)

NASCAR Dale Earnhardt Jr. has claimed that Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin has now surpassed two times NASCAR Cup series champion Kyle Busch to become the most booed driver on a track. The NASCAR Hall of Famer said that the recent incident and outspokenness of the No:11 Camry driver are the reason for the shift.

Kyle Busch was once the most hated NASCAR driver on the track. His aggressive persona on and off the track and run-ins with some sports legends got in the spot. Driving for Toyota was another major factor. But he now has brought his hater numbers significantly down with a good PR that helped him to show the world his real personality, and also, the move RCR this season played a big part In it.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. while discussing the incident Hamlin had with Kyle Larson last Sunday at Pocono. He pointed out that the recurring incidents and Hamlin’s outspoken nature has soured a lot of fans. Adding his past as one of the most disliked drivers has caused a situation in which Hamlin is now the most booed driver over former teammate Busch.

“He [Hamlin] already had a lot of people upset at him over this year, right? Some of the things he’s been involved in, on and off the track, have soured a lot of fans. You go to the race track… when he’s introduced, he’s like the most booed driver,” Dale Jr. said in Dale Jr. Downloaded podcast as reported by ProTalk.

“It used to be Kyle Busch, but it ain’t even close. He didn’t help himself there… Now, I’m in the booth, and I’m looking down, and there’s some fans cheering. There’s some 11 flags and shirts — they’ve got their arm in the air. But it was like 80/20,” Dale Jr. added.

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Denny Hamlin (Credits: IMAGO) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Credits: IMAGO)

Hamlin walling Larson for the win at Pocono has produced a mixed set of reactions from the fans and racers in the garage. While most agree that aggressive racing is part of NASCAR, they expected Hamlin to race clean, considering he has been calling for more clean racing in the top tier.

Dale Jr., in his podcast, pointed out that what Hamlin did to Kyle Larson on Sunday was the same thing the 23XI Racing co-owner did to Ross Chastain last year amidst their heated rivalry. He added that the move from Hamlin was dirty and wasn’t how he expected friends to race. The JRM owner went on to defend Hamlin saying such moves are nothing new in NASCAR anyway.

“Denny — it was exactly like with the No. 1 car — Ross Chastain last year…I agree that it was a dirty move to door him. To throttle up and door him, but it’s for the win. It’s not how you would expect friends to race friends,” Dale Jr. said.

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