Kyle Busch plays role of NASCAR’s new villain

NASCAR’s Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon said Friday that they had settled their tiff from last weekend’s race, but Busch’s winning ways and cocky manner remained a topic in the Sprint Cup garage.

The 23-year-old Busch – who leads the Cup point standings with three wins already this year for Joe Gibbs Racing – also has emerged as NASCAR’s latest villain with perhaps the series’ most aggressive driving style.

Last weekend he had a heated exchange with four-time champion Gordon immediately after their close racing in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C.

“All is cool now” after the two talked it over again this week, Busch said before qualifying for Sunday’s race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

Busch qualified his Toyota third at Dover behind pole-sitter Greg Biffle and his older brother Kurt Busch. Gordon was seventh.

At Lowe’s, Gordon “just raced me a little bit harder than anybody had all day,” Busch said. “I wasn’t sure if he meant something by that or if it was just the way his car was acting or what.”

But Gordon later told him “his car wasn’t balanced the way it needed to be and he was just fighting for position,” Busch said. “I tried to get a reasoning there after the race and it was just the wrong time to do it.”

Gordon, 36, likewise said their dispute was now a “nonissue.”

“I raced him pretty hard when he came up to pass me earlier in the race, and Kyle’s aggressive, and he got aggressive back with me when that happened, so we had a little misunderstanding,” Gordon said.

Jimmie Johnson, Gordon’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports and the reigning Cup champion, said he found the dispute entertaining.

“There is no doubt that [Busch] enjoys trying to run us hard,” Johnson said. “Some of his cockiness shows up from time to time.

“And what’s sport without trash talking?” Johnson said. “What’s sport without these little rivalries? I’m glad it’s being publicized, but I don’t think it’s as bad as people make it out to be. We’ll just roll on with it and have some fun.”

Busch was a teammate with Johnson and Gordon until this year, when he was released by Hendrick to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“I’m sure he’s not happy about the way he left Hendrick, but I would think he’s got to be pretty happy where he’s at right now,” Gordon said.

Kevin Harvick, however, had words of caution for Busch.

“Kyle Busch is an incredibly talented driver,” Harvick said. But having a bold demeanor, he added, “takes its toll on you as you move down the road.

“You have to respect the guys who laid the foundation for the sport … and this sport has a very good way of breaking you of those habits pretty easily,” he said.

What toll? “At some point, all that momentum goes away, it doesn’t last forever,” said Harvick, 32, who drives for Richard Childress Racing. “And then you don’t have anybody to turn to in the garage. All that disrespect comes back because no matter how good you’re doing, you’re not going to be good forever.”

For now, Busch was asked by reporters about being NASCAR’s villain. “I guess there have been villains over the years so if that’s their word that they are going to call it, then that is what it is,” Busch replied.

“I don’t feel like that’s who I am but that’s, I guess, the role that I’m portraying,” he said. “It doesn’t bother me.”

Have a motor sports question for Jim? E-mail him at james.peltz@latimes.com