Kyle Busch: Punk, NASCAR's Most Hated Driver or Great Racer?

Racin' with Russ.

Kyle Busch has been racing something for the past 10 years and has been relatively successful at whatever he has competed in, but not without stepping on some toes to get there.

And, when I say stepping on toes, I mean rubbed, shoved and generally pushed his way to the front. He has left a wake of hard feelings with many of those he's competed with. For the first few years in NASCAR, drivers and race officials tended to blow it off.

Lately however, things have changed and some drivers have had enough and are starting to push back and pay back. Perhaps, it started with the Cup race at Bristol a few years ago when Carl Edwards barely breathed on leader Busch while passing him for the lead, and later went on to win.

As soon as the field crossed the finish line, Kyle decided to catch up with Carl and rub him to exhibit his displeasure with the earlier move. Carl immediately turned the rat-faced driver around, much to the wild approval of the rabid crowd.

Then, there was the episode with teammate Denny Hamlin when Hamlin didn't leave him any room on the outside to make a pass in a Cup race at Charlotte. Busch exclaimed on his radio something to the effect of,"Don't let me near that guy or I'll kill him!" He later pulled his car right into the parking spot behind Hamlin's hauler to meet with him after the race.

The latest episode of "I don't forget"—and by the way, despite drivers saying they put incidents behind them...that's a bunch of you-know-what, as drivers NEVER forget! They just file the episodes away until the right situation presents itself. Enter one of the final races this year when Kevin Harvick punted Kyle into the infield fence and out of the race.

I would be remiss in not mentioning the Bristol Nationwide race this year when Kyle felt that Brad Keselowski squeezed him into the fence and promptly turned him into the outside fence for doing so. NASCAR did nothing.

And it doesn't matter what series he competes in, he will take no prisoners. Whether it's a truck race with top runners battling for a championship or a local short track visit, the guy is ruthless without an ounce of conscience.

Yes, he wins races...a lot of races. Last year alone, he won more than 20 among the top three NASCAR tiers, but without much fan support. Does that matter to Kyle Busch? Not in the least, he says. For some drivers, the 'boo-birds' really hurt their feelings.

And when I say the guy can ruffle feathers, I'm not limiting that to just the drivers. He has annoyed race fans with his "walk away" bad attitude after he doesn't win a race, as well as the press.

He's had 16 wins before the age of 25 (more than anyone else), 86 combined wins among the top three series (eighth all-time) and 43 Nationwide wins, just a few back from all-time leader Mark Martin.

There are fans who love the guy because his desire to win is so strong, but for many others, on and off the track, he's a spoiled punk insisting on getting his way at whatever cost to himself and others.

This brash atttiude is not popular with many as is evident at any driver introduction on any given day...but the guy can drive a race car.

What do you think? Drop me a line.

RWR