Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch is one of the most recognizable NASCAR stars on the field. For his list of achievements behind the wheel of his car, it is no surprise that fans thirst for a picture with him or his autograph. However, it is not always that Rowdy is welcoming of those who desire to satisfy their inner fanboys. He spoke about the same in a 2017 interview.
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He was presented with a hypothetical scenario during a discussion with veteran reporter Jeff Gluck. A fan spots him when eating dinner at a restaurant. Should they approach him to get an autograph without hesitation? Busch’s response was a mature one. He said, “There’s a right way, a tactful way in approaching somebody that’s out to dinner — especially with their wife or their family.”
His opinion is that the fan has to either come to get the autograph before he starts eating or after. “But once that person — me, for instance — is picking up a hamburger and stuffing his face full of grease, don’t come over and ask for a picture or an autograph, you know what I mean?” he explained. His words are agreeable considering that the Las Vegas native only demands a tiny bit of common etiquette.
Busch’s popularity makes it so that he is often confronted by fans. Why wouldn’t they? He is one of the highest-paid athletes in motorsports with a reported yearly income as high as $16.9 million. YouGov also ranked him as the 95th most popular contemporary sportsperson. His expectation as to when he can be approached stems from the bad experiences that he has had.
Have fans asked Busch for autographs when he was in the middle of a meal?
Busch continued to reveal that people have often bugged him when he has been out with his family. He stressed that people need to learn to request things on the time of the other person and not expect things to be done then and there. He said, “The biggest thing that’s disappointing is people want to be on their time.”
“When you want something, you can’t be on your time and expect it right now. You have to be on that other person’s time, right? If I’m going to go get Peyton Manning’s [NFL quarterback] autograph at dinner and I see him out with his family, I’m going to sit there patiently and wait until he’s done and he’s on his way out of the restaurant,” he explained.
Busch’s ask is only reasonable. It has been over seven years since he did this interview with Gluck. Perhaps he has had a better experience dealing with such impatient fans during this period.
