They say that it’s important for athletes to keep any external noise out so that it doesn’t affect their performance. Kyle Busch seems to have been doing just that for several years now.
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The two-time Cup Series champion recently revealed that he does not consume any NASCAR media content, barring a few X (formerly Twitter) posts here and there.
Back during the Las Vegas, Nevada native’s early days with Joe Gibbs Racing, the Busch during the early years of his career managed to ruffle feathers and bang doors with the most established in the sport, while being completely unapologetic about the same.
He came to be known as somewhat of a villain/bad guy in the sport and was disliked by many. The media did not hold back on their criticism as well.
Kyle Busch is not happy with tonight’s questions! #SouthPoint400 #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/vF4cttUd6W
— 𝙅𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙧 🇺🇸 (@jasoncarterTR) September 16, 2019
So Busch did the sensible thing and stopped consuming the chatter entirely. It has been like this for a while now. Considering how successful a career the now Richard Childress Racing driver has had in the sport, it’s safe to say that his methods have worked.
Perhaps that is another reason he was so fearless and unapologetic since he just did not care what people said about him.
“It’s how I’ve been for a long time. It started long ago where there were not-so-favorable comments being made by some journalists or reporters. Then I was just like, ‘You know what? It’s not worth my time. They can say whatever the hell they want to say and it is what it is. I’m not going to change it,” the #8 Chevrolet driver said during a recent interview.
“So I’ve just never really paid attention and just stayed away from it,” he added.
Things are better for Busch from a media and fan perception standpoint now. A lot has been made of his lackluster form this season, but everyone respects the two-time champion as an athlete.
If anything, people want him to win that one race this season, which will keep his 19-year streak of at least one win in each season going.
Busch hails Hamlin for taking the villain role
Rowdy is no longer the villain in NASCAR. Barring a few sporadic moments, he has mellowed down a lot. The villain role now belongs to his former teammate, Denny Hamlin.
Busch is loving every moment of the #11 driver playing the bad guy and taunting fans for fun. If the Joe Gibbs Racing star did win a Cup Series championship during his tenure, it’s safe to say that a lot of people would be unhappy about it.
“I applaud Denny for taking on the role. It’s fun to see it from another side because I knew how to live it. And that’s the thing man like, you just have to embrace it and you just have to roll with it and go with it and take it on… And say like, ‘Yeah, you hate me because I’m a badass and you’re just jealous’ like yeah,” Rowdy elaborated.
Busch and Hamlin might have both been villains but no one can take away the fact that they’re two of the best drivers NASCAR has seen in the past decade. For young drivers, they’re both worthy of looking up to and there’s a lot they can learn from the two motorsports veterans.
