Kyle Busch reflects on possibly upsetting Chase Elliott for Most Popular Driver

After years and years of being a bit of a villain in NASCAR, Kyle Busch might be on his way to winning Most Popular Driver. Seriously! The move from Joe Gibbs to Richard Childress Racing was massive. Toyota to Chevy. That is going to win a lot of haters over at the very least.

Despite being the bad guy in the last decade or so, Kyle Busch has been a popular driver. He’s the one you love to hate. Now, in the No. 8 at RCR he has a new life, new fans, and possibly a new award coming his way.

In Nashville, Busch talked to the media about the chances of winning the coveted fan award.

“I have been told by NASCAR that I’ve finished second the last three or four years and the gap is getting closer. … Hey I’m all for it man, that would probably be the shock of the night so I’m excited about that,” Busch said, via Daniel Baldwin. “I’m going to dress to impress just for that moment, so I can be ready.”

I asked @KyleBusch his thoughts on if he could surprise the world and win Most Popular Driver, and here’s what he thought of his odds to do so. https://t.co/wjEmjuWFbl pic.twitter.com/Z47EbQK7NL

— DannyBTalks (Daniel Baldwin) (@DannyBTalks) November 30, 2023

The NASCAR Awards are going down tonight, but the broadcast will be delayed until next week. So, fans hoping to keep up will have to check in with folks on the ground in Music City. Kyle Busch might just pull off the upset and unseat Chase Elliott as Most Popular Driver.

Rowdy had a good season with RCR. Next year, he’ll look to improve on his three wins and make a run for another championship.

Kyle Busch has become a new driver

It really is amazing that Kyle Busch has had this newfound popularity. Folks would boo him and jeer and give him a hard time. He was the No. 18, the M&M’s car, Toyota, and sometimes, he was a jerk. Fans hated his fake “boo hoo,” his bow after wins, everything about him!

Now… things have changed. At the track, Busch gets huge cheers and support. NASCAR is a funny sport. Loyalty can be tied to multiple things. Drivers, teams, manufacturer, even car number, or brand sponsor.

At RCR, Busch is no longer the Candy Man. He’s Rowdy. Kyle Kush in the 3CHI Chevy. He’s got sponsors ranging from Lenovo to Lucas Oil and more in between. What I love about Busch’s sponsors, a lot of them are products fans can use or easily buy. That goes a long way.

So, Kyle Busch, Most Popular Driver? Are we buying into it yet or are we going to have to wait? In a season where Chase Elliott missed races, Busch might have picked up enough fans to break up the five-year streak.