‘Rowdy’ Kyle Busch is not ready to leave his Villain persona behind for RCR

Kyle Busch’s aggressive racing style is often gets more emphasize over his legacy as one of the greatest drivers ever.

‘Rowdy’ Kyle Busch is not ready to leave his Villain persona behind for RCR

Kyle Busch (@kylebusch/Twitter)

Kyle Busch is one of the greatest modern-day racers NASCAR has ever seen, and it’s a matter of when not if he will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame after retirement. The two times Cup series champion is notorious for his aggressive driving style and outspoken nature. These characteristics make him one of the most entertaining at the same time, hated drivers on the grid.

Busch is entering a new career phase this season as he left Joe Gibbs Racing after 15 years to join Richard Childress Racing. He took over the No:8 team of Tyler Reddick, who joined TRD  team 23XI Racing. His JGR exit was prompted by the failure to replace his long-time primary sponsors, M&M, following their exit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkjpL6vh6xk

While JGR management failed to secure enough sponsors, Busch’s racing style and nature also played a part. Going into a new team, many might have expected him to bid adieu to the villain persona, but Busch is not ready to do so. In an interview after the COTA tire test, Busch pointed out that he will remain the guy playing a role as he has been in the past.

FS Video

“It depends. It’s a matter of who makes you mad. It’s just a product of circumstances and what all goes down. Our sport needs some entertainment. It needs some excitement whether it’s on the track or a little bit off the track. If I’m that guy — I’ve been that guy for a little bit. This hat’s black for a reason. We’ll keep rolling,” Kyle Busch said.

Learn more: Kevin Harvick is ready to push his son “a little too far” though the same attitude from his father that made a big wedge between them

Kyle Busch knows that his aggressive nature is one of the few factors that cost him his JGR ride

Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch

Busch, the day before his move to Richard Childress’s garage was announced, pointed out that he might have to change his attitude on track a bit. He was free to express himself freely during his Days associated with M&M, but new sponsors might not entertain such behavior from their brand ambassador.

“I feel like having the freedom of being able to act or react to certain situations the way that I could through the support of M&Ms allowed me to be as successful as I was on Sunday,” Kyle Busch said.

“Thousand percent. So will that have to change? Most likely. How much? 10%, 15%, I don’t know. Maybe it’s 18% that you have to change. I don’t know what that is or what that looks like so obviously that’s still to be determined,” Busch added.

Discover more: