Is Kyle Busch evolving into one of NASCAR’s mpopular drivers?

As Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing celebrated on Homestead-Miami Speedway’s frontstretch having just won the Sprint Cup championship, an unusual noise accompanied the merriment -- persistent loud cheers from the fans watching the festivities.

Now, the vocal support of those witnessing Busch winning a career-first championship may have had something to do with the No. 18 team throwing bags of M&M’s and T-shirts into the crowd -- nevertheless, the cheers were still prominent.

Yet regardless of why, that kind of positive reaction is something Busch hasn’t experienced much. More often than not, a hostile reception greets him when he comes out for prerace driver introductions, and his standing among fans is decidedly different from the response he generated Sunday night.

So is Busch evolving into a fan favorite, or were those witnessing the coronation of NASCAR’s newest champion, plied by candy and free merchandise, simply being respectful?

“Yes and no,” Busch said. “I think becoming a champion doesn’t necessarily change fans’ opinion of you, but I think how you are the sport’s champion will change perception of how people think of you.”

The answer is somewhere in between.

There is not one lightning rod incident to explain Busch’s lack of popularity among the masses; rather, a career filled with antagonistic behavior on and off the track. That, accompanied with his fondness for running in lesser NASCAR divisions, where he tends to dominate, has in the eyes of many made him easy to dislike.

But Busch’s attitude is noticeably different since a remarkable comeback from grievous injuries that sidelined him the first 11 races of the season. The severity of the injuries and grueling rehabilitation have given the 30-year-old greater perspective, as has the birth of his first child, Brexton, who was born just two days after dad raced for the first time since his February crash at Daytona International Speedway.

And for at least a short time, Busch’s altered outlook also earned him approval from fans upon his return -- only for the boos during driver intros to resume a few weeks later. Still, the changes haven’t gone unnoticed.

“What he went through this year, I see a changed Kyle,” Jeff Gordon said. “When he came back, not only was he driven and just inspired by it, but you can tell he was racing smarter, with more patience, just being more deliberate.

“Between having a baby, the thing that happened to him at Daytona, the time with his wife and other things, I think he had a lot of time to think about a lot of things.”

Morphing from vilified to beloved is not uncommon and is in some ways part of the natural cycle nearly every great NASCAR driver experiences. If you win too much, you will be heartily booed, just as Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip and many others were.

Gordon, whose final race was Sunday, is proof of the possible transition Busch can make. Having ended Earnhardt’s era of dominance with four championships and 56 victories over a seven-year span, Gordon was much like a wrestling heel. He was derided, insulted and endured a constant barrage of taunts.

But when he stopped winning with such frequency and endured some setbacks off the track, the general feeling toward Gordon shifted. And as evident by the significant goodwill expressed throughout his retirement tour, without question fans hold him in high regard.

Although unlikely Busch will ever reach the same level of popularity as Gordon, being a champion will provide him the platform to move beyond the controversial moments that checkered the early part of his career -- an opportunity Busch seems ready to embrace.

“I’m really optimistic and looking forward to being the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion next year and doing all the things that a champion is supposed to do,” Busch said. “And maybe that’ll change some more things about me?

“It’s certainly been a whirlwind season this year, and I think there’s been a lot of change in myself and my family and my team, but yet I think there’s probably still more to go, and looking forward to that experience.”