Some NASCAR drivers trigger the crowds and get nicknamed “Rowdy,” but for some, the best they do is compare themselves to the former. This certainly looked to be the case for 16-year-old Max Reaves, whose self-proclaimed comparison to Kyle Busch backfired after his strong comments on fellow drivers became the highlight on social media.

Joe Gibbs’ young driver is under the public eye

“You know, the nine, I don’t know what the plan was, but you know, I think he was trying to take me and the 77 out. But if you can’t beat him, you’ve got to wreck him, you know.”

If his self-obsessed comments were not enough, Reaves ended his statement by claiming that one of the drivers on the track during the ARCA race intentionally tried to wreck him because they weren’t winning. Well, that was sure to catch the fans’ attention, as loud booing soon emerged from the stands.

But again, it did not take the teenager to snap back once again, but this time on the crowd: “This reminds me of that one interview with Kyle Busch, and he, like, cried at the haters, but there’s a reason I’m in that car and not one of these other ones. So I’m just thankful to all my guys for everything, and I love all these haters.”

Sure, Reaves has managed to find himself a seat with Joe Gibbs Racing. He has won races in the ARCA Series and has proven to be a competitive driver. But there is a reason why fans support the drivers and not the numbers. There have been many in NASCAR history who never even fought for a championship, but were loved by the fans. And then some dominated, but never gained that support. Reaves currently looks to be moving into the latter category.

He has been called out on social media multiple times for his self-obsessive comments. Although he is just a teenager, many think that he needs to be a little more humble. “They were good too, but they’re nothing on us,” is what he had to say about his rivals after finishing in second place at Hickory.

He has been involved in these higher levels of regional racing for the past two years, and, credit where it’s due, he has been rather impressive. But again, his persona doesn’t fit in well with the fans. Although he does draw a cheeky Kyle Busch comparison, many feel that he isn’t even close to being what the ‘Rowdy’ of the Cup Series is.

Social media backlash against Reaves

“Yeah, there’s a reason you’re in that car, Max. It’s because your dad owns the company whose logos are all over your car. Insufferable, petulant child.” No matter how Reaves performs on the tracks, the fans don’t let go of the fact that his family owns the fast food chain, Cook Out, which is one of his major sponsors, hence earning him the “pay driver” narrative.

While many don’t seem to care about it, when Reaves pulls off moves like this on the crowd, it all goes against him. But again, some found it rather funny that the crowd booing made him compelled to make a Kyle Busch comparison: “Bro thinks he’s KFB because he got booed. Get real kid.”

At the same time, some seem to draw their own comparisons for Reaves, as they claimed that he was more similar to one of NASCAR’s lesser-liked drivers, like this comment read: “This piece of shit makes Ty Gibbs look like Justin Allgaier.”

Moreover, Joe Gibbs Racing and its integrity in finding upcoming drivers were also under massive question. “Where does Joe Gibbs and Toyota find all these a**holes?”

At the end of the day, there is nothing wrong with being an arrogant driver; there have been many in NASCAR’s long-standing history. However, it is high time for Reaves to realize that drawing a Kyle Busch comparison while being a teenager wouldn’t give him the ticket to escape the fans’ wrath after saying something extremely questionable.