George Berridge got a ping on his app that someone waiting at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel needed a ride, so the Uber driver headed to downtown Grand Rapids.

"When you are driving Uber, all you get is the first name of who you are picking up," said Berridge, of Allendale. "When I got the ping for a ride, I didn't look at the name of the person."

Berridge expected to find a businessman needing a lift to a meeting. He didn't know that his client was NASCAR Monster Energy Cup superstar Kyle Busch, even after he pulled up and saw him standing there.

Berridge loves hating on Busch, and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk a little smack.

"I yelled, 'Rowdy Busch,'" said Berridge, a big-time race fan. "He said, 'Yeah, that's me.' And then I told him, 'Are you ready to get your ass kicked tonight?'

"He said, 'Dude, my Uber driver is going to start the ride like this? Seriously?' It was epic. I looked down and saw the name Kyle on my phone and said, 'Oh, man.' That wasn't a very good way to start the ride."

Berridge dropped Busch off at the Berlin Raceway, where he finished third in Monday night's Money in the Bank 150. Busch competed in Sunday's Cup race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn before heading to do a little short-track ARCA/CRA Super Series Late Model racing in Marne.

Busch, one of the sport's more polarizing drivers, laughed off Berridge's trash talk.

"I told him, 'I'm just messing with you,'" Berridge said. "He said not a problem."

Berridge has worked on race cars in the past, and he helped out the late Lee Anderson when Anderson was racing Late Models from 2003-2007. Berridge has been a NASCAR fan as long as he can remember, and anyone who is Facebook friends with him is aware that he is no fan of Busch. While he said is not going to rush out and purchase a No. 18 cap, Berridge added that his opinion of Busch has changed.

Busch races the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry in Cup. The 2015 series champion is currently leading the point standings and has four victories in 15 races.

"It was really cool to talk to Kyle," Berridge said. "I told him when I see you racing in some of the Xfinity races, I don't know how you can come from 20th to the lead in five laps. You make those cars do what no one else can do. Your talent is unbelievable.

"To go and be able to talk to a NASCAR champion, yes, my opinion has changed. I will always think he is a cry baby, but that just goes to show his competitive nature. He is not out there for a paycheck. He is out there to win races. His Late Model racing is a prime example of that."

Berridge asked Busch to pose for a selfie before they went their separate ways. Image how surprised his family and friends were when Berridge texted them the photo.

"My wife couldn't believe it," Berridge said. "I had a really hard time asking Kyle for a picture, especially after asking him if he was ready to get his butt kicked."