“Rubbed Me the Wrong Way and Pi**Ed Me” – Kyle Busch Confesses to Being a “Little Jealous” of Dale Earnhardt Jr During His Early Days in NASCAR

Published 03/26/2023, 1:09 PM EDT

Early on in the Cup Series career of Kyle Busch, he used to race for Hendrick Motorsports. Back then, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the talk of the town. However, Busch and Junior were never friends during their early years competing on the track. Decades later, Rowdy revealed how he would often feel jealous of Junior and his lifestyle.

Recently, during a podcast, Busch opened up and spoke about his relationship with Junior and how it improved only after a certain period.

Busch felt excluded from being one of the cool kids

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During the conversation, Rowdy mentioned, “Jr. and I, we get along well now. He grew up a lot. I grew up a lot. You know, we were both punk kids at that time and we didn’t really mesh with one another. I came into the sport at 18. I love dale jr. Like I was actually a Dale Earnhardt Jr fan.”

He further mentioned that things changed after he got to the Cup Series himself. Busch elaborated, “I was a little jealous a little envious like I wanted to hang out with him.”

He then spoke about how Junior would be considered the “rockstar” back in those days. Busch then mentioned that he too wanted to visit Junior’s house parties, but he was still underage at that point in time.

Kyle Busch Claims His “Hands Are Too Soft and Girly” Now, Throwing Shade at the Next Gen Car

The two-time champion concluded by saying, “I was never cool. I was never one of the cool kids. I was never invited over, so maybe rubbed me the wrong way and pi**ed me off so we were never friends. But then he and I grew up, and we hashed it out and we’re good now.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr eventually replaced Kyle Busch early into his career

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After spending a few years at Hendrick Motorsports, the end of the road had arrived for Busch. It was during the 2007 season when Busch sealed the fate of his HMS ship. Rowdy had been involved in a massive wreck between himself and his brother. Following this wreck, even Busch’s own relationship with his brother declined for a while.

It can be considered that after the massive wreck, Hendrick Motorsports would have decided it was best for them to get Junior onto the team. Thankfully, Busch was not left stranded.

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WATCH THIS STORY: “I’m Still Bummed”: Kyle Busch Reveals the Negative Aspect of Hendrick Motorsports Icon Driving for His Truck Series Team

It was Joe Gibbs Racing that picked up Busch for the following season. With JGR, Busch even went on to win two Cup Series championships. So was it a loss for HMS in the end? Maybe, maybe not. Let us know what you think.

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Written by:

Srijan Mandal is a NASCAR author at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Master’s in Journalism and has been writing for his own blog as well, covering NASCAR, F1, F2, W Series, MotoGP, DTM, IndyCar, WRC, and WEC. Following motorsports for more than a decade, he has become a devout supporter of McLaren Racing, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Bubba Wallace, Sir Lewis Hamilton, and Ayrton Senna.

Edited by:

Akash Pandhare

“Rubbed Me the Wrong Way and Pi**Ed Me” – Kyle Busch Confesses to Being a “Little Jealous” of Dale Earnhardt Jr During His Early Days in NASCAR

Busch felt excluded from being one of the cool kids

Dale Earnhardt Jr eventually replaced Kyle Busch early into his career

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