DARLINGTON, S.C. — The boos don’t bother Kyle Busch.
Good thing because he’s hearing a lot of them these days.
“I’m here to race. I’m here to win,” Busch said after dominating the field in Saturday’s Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway. “If I win, it just makes them more upset and crying on their way home.”
Never among NASCAR’s most popular drivers in his short career, the 23-year-old Busch became the sport’s biggest villain last week when he wrecked with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as the two raced for the lead at Richmond, much to the ire of Earnhardt’s throngs of diehard fans.
Like Busch, Jeff Gordon, who ran third at Darlington, has heard his share of boos, especially from pro-Earnhardt crowds, but he says the important thing is that the fans are making some sort of noise.
“Right now, the boos may be louder than the cheers, but at least they’re making a lot of noise,” Gordon said.
But as far as playing the role of NASCAR’s latest villain, Gordon said that probably isn’t Busch’s choice, even if he says it doesn’t bother him.
“I don’t think he wants to be that,” Gordon said. “I know Kyle’s a good guy…He just gets himself into situations that just follow him. He needs to accept it, go with it, but be himself…Having a love-hate relationship with the fans is not a bad thing. I heard more noise for him tonight than I ever heard for him. I remember when I came into this sport riding around with Dale Earnhardt (Sr.), and him getting a lot of boos and cheers — and all he cared about was how much noise they made.”
Busch often comes across as smug and over-confident, but with three Sprint Cup victories among eight wins in NASCAR’s top three series, there is reason for confidence for an uber-talented driver who can vote in a presidential election for just the second time.
“He comes in here and he fits with our race team. That’s all I’m worried about,” said crew chief Steve Addington, who has also worked with Bobby Labonte and J.J. Yeley on the No. 18 team. “He fits with the group of guys on this 18 car. He’s the same way about his driving and wanting to win trophies.”
J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, landed Busch and his baggage this past offseason when Busch was released from Hendrick Motorsports in favor of Earnhardt.
As soon as Earnhardt signed with Hendrick, Busch became the sport’s most sought-after free agent, and has more than lived up to that status with his performance this year that has him leading the Sprint Cup standings.
While victories are piling up now, Gibbs said the rest — popularity or at least appreciation from the fans — may come later with age.
“You always kind of have a guy that comes along and when he starts to do well, there’s an issue there,” said Gibbs. “Over time, people kind of appreciate what they’re doing on the track.
“And Kyle is learning, too. This is a lot of attention he hasn’t had in years past. As he kind of learns and grows with that, I think we’ll be in good shape. That’s just a matter of time taking care of itself.”