It’s easy to criticize Kyle Busch, but it’s even easier to forget that NASCAR’s most petulant driver often has a point.
Busch laid into NASCAR’s new rules package Sunday afternoon after finishing eighth in the Foxwoods 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver led the most laps in the race but was unable to finish top-five after damaging his No. 18 Toyota Camry and losing position early in Stage 3.
According to Busch, NASCAR’s new package — essentially designed to prevent drivers from running away and hiding — is to blame for his inability to climb back to the top of the field. And those comments, particularly how they were delivered, didn’t sit well with many NASCAR fans.
“What am I supposed to do? You have a little bit of damage — a tire rub — so you have to come down to fix it, and then we suddenly can’t drive back through the field? It’s stupid,” he said. “You used to be able to make your way through the field. I’ve done it at Richmond. I’ve done it here. I’ve done it at a ton of places. Now you can’t do it anywhere.”
Busch, when asked whether fragile cars are the culprit, Busch doubled down: “Too. Much. Downforce.”
The remarks were shared in a NASCAR Reddit thread, which led to heated debate from the sport’s passionate fan base. Some wrote Busch’s comments off as sour grapes, while others believe “Rowdy” was on to something.
Matt DiBenedetto, who finished fifth Sunday, is among those who sympathize with Busch.
Check out his comment:
Busch brings much of the bad attention upon himself, and he isn’t a particularly easy driver to root for. Plus, when you have four wins and sit just three points out of the top spot in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings, people aren’t going to feel bad for you.
But bad attitude and bad takes aren’t mutually exclusive. The truth about Busch is that, more often than not, he’s as annoying as he is right.
