Not wearing a driver shirt to a NASCAR race? Kyle Busch says you’re one of his fans

You’re either for someone else or you’re part of Rowdy Nation, apparently.

There’s no question that Kyle Busch is one of those NASCAR drivers that fans tend to either love or love to hate. His mixed reaction at various tracks is similar to the ones that WWE wrestlers John Cena and Roman Reigns get, and the parallel goes further than that since Busch’s merchandise is popular with kids too.

But could there be more Kyle Busch fans out there than we assume? Maybe some that don’t flaunt the M&M’S or Skittles colors because they don’t want to be harassed by people who aren’t members of Rowdy Nation?

The driver himself thinks so.

“Souvenir sales might go up after me saying this, for other drivers, but if you come to the racetrack and you’re not wearing a racing shirt, you’re a closet Kyle Busch fan,” Rowdy told the NBC Sports crew today. “You’re just scared to show up to the racetrack wearing Kyle Busch gear because you don’t want to be razzed about it.”

Like a lot of things Busch says, it’s quite possible he had his tongue firmly in cheek here. The vast majority of NASCAR fans do indeed show up at the track in their favorite driver’s apparel, but there are some who don’t, and we suspect not all of them are secretly pulling for the 18. Maybe it’s a sly motivator to try to sell some more 18 team merch on Throwback Weekend (and honestly, the Skittles throwback paint scheme is super sweet).

Then again, sometimes you can be outright angry at Busch and he’ll send you some ice cream, so perhaps this kind of reverse psychology is for naught. In any case, we’re sticking to our official position that his public persona is good for the sport, and you’re free to cheer or boo him as you see fit. That goes for what driver apparel you do or do not want to wear too.