LAS VEGAS — NASCAR has a new villain and he doesn’t really care what anyone thinks about him.

Noah Gragson is the starring figure in the latest uproar that is typical NASCAR. He crashed while leading last weekend’s race and ran his mouth afterward. How it was received depends on how you feel about Gragson.

He can be viewed as a refreshing young Xfinity Series driver unafraid to show his personality in a sport stuffed with straight-laced corporate promoters. Some instead see him as an entitled 22-year-old from a wealthy family who is undeserving of the attention and maybe even his ride.

He’s back home in Las Vegas for Saturday’s race and finds himself at the center of a heated debate. Should he continue the defiant “I’m going to be me” stance or take a step back?

“That’s my job is to get people talking about me. And it’s going good right now,” Gragson said.

Gragson has been building to this moment the last four years, following a path blazed by NASCAR champions Kurt and Kyle Busch, who are also from Las Vegas. He was in the Truck Series at 18 driving for Kyle Busch’s team, but the pipeline that traditionally leads to a Joe Gibbs Racing ride only got him three Xfinity Series races.