Richard Petty is feeling the full force of a social media backlash. The NASCAR legend took to social media ahead of the Daytona 500 to share an image of himself and Kid Rock.
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"American Icons," Petty wrote alongside the image. "Welcome to Daytona @KidRock."
Unfortunately for Petty, he may not have realized quite how controversial Kid Rock is. The rap-rock star recently headlined Turning Point USA's Super Bowl LX All-American Halftime Show. However, that appearance provided Rock with a platform large enough that some previously controversial lyrics and comments resurfaced.
So, while Petty did get some supportive comments on his post, there were just as many, if not more, that leaned toward the negative side of things.
"Kid Rock looks like if AI made a mashup of every dude on the sex offender registry,' one user wrote.
Another user went even further, taking aim at Petty's character and calling him and Kid Rock 'trash.'
"Patty, you've always been maga trash scum now you're saying that Kid Rock is an icon? the guys filthy dirty!! Youre both straight up trash," the user wrote. "Drive a car around in a circle and youre an athlete. I bet you can't throw a football more than 10 feet."
Petty's post gained over 283 comments and hundreds of quote tweets on X. The good-to-bad ratio is likely split down the middle. That's how controversial Kid Rock is, and the risk you take when posting yourself with him.
Kid Rock Was Not a Fan of the Super Bowl Halftime Show
Kid Rock has been making noise for the past few weeks. His latest headlines came when he was vocal with his frustration regarding Bad Bunny's halftime show at the Super Bowl.
"Like most people, I didn't understand any of it," Kid Rock said while appearing on The Ingrahm Angle on Fox News. "I saw there's a lot of dancers and a lot of big to-do stuff. And, you know, he said he wanted to have a dance party. It looked like he had one."
However, Kid Rock continued by noting that he doesn't blame Bad Bunny. Instead, he's placing the blame directly at the feet of the NFL.
"Not my cup of tea, but I don't fault that kid for doing the Super Bowl, getting in front of a global audience," he continued. "I fault the NFL for putting him in that position and Turning Point for having to come out and have an alternative for people to watch. You know, it's just — poor kid."
At this point, Kid Rock knows his audience. He will understand that he's a controversial figure and likely continue leaning into it. Unfortunately for Petty, and likely others in the future, that means they could put themselves in the firing line when posting photos or videos with the long-time rap-rock star.
