Upon winning the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway, Kyle Busch was prepared to do his normal shtick.

You know, get out of the car, survey the crowd and execute his signature bow and curtsy.

But something different happened on Saturday night. The 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, compelled by some unknown force, decided to march right on into the grandstands and celebrate with the fans.

... Excuse me?

Yeah, the same guy who said he needed an FBI agent to trail him after his 2008 Richmond run-in with Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now running into those same grandstands to receive hugs, adoration and selfie requests.

What in the world? Welcome to Bizarro World!

But history will likely remember this week as the moment Busch began his ‘baby face turn,’ exchanging his black hat for a white one and completing the same cycle that previous villains such as Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Rusty Wallace experienced during their Hall of Fame careers.

"It was a 10-year anniversary so you know what, I was wondering if I'd come out alive," Busch said of his sojourn with the crowd. "I think it certainly was different tonight. I saw a lot of yellow there at the front fence line. I saw a little bit of black, which was the championship jacket from our season back in '15.

"Don't worry, I was definitely eyeing it out. I was like, 'Who's there, who's there, who's there.' I saw a lot of 18 stuff. So I just decided to go up there, get some guys and some kids some high fives, some 'what's ups.' Fortunately I got back out of there."

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Respect. Kyle Busch goes into the stands to celebrate with fans in Richmond. pic.twitter.com/EJy5yDIghg — FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 22, 2018

It began when Busch appeared on the "Dale Jr. Download" to discuss the incident with his longtime rival. The conversation was engaging, honest and charming. It humanized Busch. And that’s not to say Busch isn’t a likable guy, but fans only know him as a caricature of himself, the intense character he plays on the track that doesn’t like to lose.

The podcast painted Busch as a sympathetic individual during that period of his career. It revealed a guy with a valid chip on his shoulder that felt pushed out of Hendrick Motorsports by Earnhardt and unfairly vilified from the start due to the overwhelming unpopularity of his older brother, Kurt.

Kyle had no choice but to wear the black hat. The department store was out of every other color. And honestly, Busch wasn’t cut out to play the hero back then anyway. He was publicly abrasive, short-tempered and, again, really hated to lose.

But make no mistake, this is a softer Kyle Busch. He’s still a fierce competitor but he’s also a husband and father. There are very real changes that his teammate of a decade, Denny Hamlin, recognizes too.

"He's obviously matured," Hamlin said. "He's got kids. Obviously (wife) Samantha is a good support group for him. I think he's just gotten older. That's the biggest thing. Once you get in your 30s, it seems like a lot of things change personally for you."

Hamlin says he and Busch talk now more than ever before, making their entire team better as a result.

Sure, there are some who will say, ‘We’ve heard this before’ and dismiss the idea of supporting Busch, but maybe it’s the fans themselves who need to change. Waltrip, Earnhardt Sr. and Wallace didn’t change in the attempt to pander to fans.

The fans changed to support one of their own.

It’s the NASCAR family system that tears down the brash youngster at first, simply for beating their idols, before ultimately embracing him as one of their own when the next wave of prospects come to assert their place in the sport.

It’s a relentless cycle.

So, it was inevitable that the tide would turn in favor of Busch, but certainly Earnhardt gave it a huge shot in the arm with their exchange in Mooresville, North Carolina, this past week. And if you think there’s no way Busch could ever be accepted by the fan base, could you ever envision a world in which he celebrates with the fans in the stands?

Joe Gibbs sure as hell couldn’t.

Joe Gibbs: "You did that?!"

Kyle Busch: "Yeah, buddy."

Joe Gibbs: "Oh, my gosh. You should not do that. That's a risk! (laughter)

Yeah, maybe in 2008 it would have been, but apparently not in 2018. There is a serious sea change in the perception of Kyle Busch and it began this past week.

Ultimately, the real test will be this coming weekend when Busch returns to Talladega Superspeedway. Traditionally, that place has not been kind to ‘Rowdy,’ but we’re suddenly charting undiscovered waters. It’s a new era, one in which Busch is slowly winning over the detractors. And if he can sway those fans, he can sway anyone.

Welcome to the Upside Down.

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