An interesting, rather, quite peculiar thing happened at Fontana. Kyle Busch, the two-time Cup champion who is notorious for how divisive he is, suddenly wasn’t. And no, that’s not because of something he said that everyone agreed with.

Busch simply won the race, and everyone, for the first time in a very long time, seemed to be on his side.

This was very clear by the reception he got from the fans in the stands as he got out of his #8 racecar and walked to the start–finish line to collect the checkered flag. Instead of the usual “boos” that happens with Rowdy often, this time it was “woos.”

Tony Stewart, who was in the booth, pointed towards that and predicted what’s to come for Kyle Busch and his fans in the 2023 season.

Tony Stewart points to the “different tone” from NASCAR fans for Busch

As Busch went to collect the checkered flag, Stewart pointed from the booth at the changed attitude of the fans for the two-time champ. “We didn’t hear the boos we’re used to hearing, that was a different tone. They know this is an uphill battle for him making a change in organizations like this,” he said.

Smoke added that fans usually back the underdog, which Busch was, considering the turmoil he has witnessed in the last 12 months. Having said that though, Stewart made a bold prediction that doesn’t seem all that unrealistic if Rowdy’s past three races are kept in mind.

“I don’t know if they’ll consider him an underdog for very much longer,” Stewart claimed.

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Kyle Busch broke one of the most historic records with his Fontana win

As soon as Kyle Busch emerged victorious, collecting his first win in the RCR era, he broke one of the longest-standing records in NASCAR history, a record which many thought would be unbreakable, a record previously held by the King, Richard Petty.

It was the record for most consecutive seasons with a win in NASCAR.

Petty had done it for 18 seasons in a row. Busch has now done it for 19, for now, something for which he was quite thankful, but that too, in his own style.

“I’m just so thankful for the opportunity to set that bar, and would love to continue to keep raising it,” Busch said after the race as per ESPN.

And now, looking into the future, the way things are going for Busch, and the way things have been for him when he gets in the groove, it seems what he’s going to achieve now will certainly elevate him above those who doubt him to be one of the greatest drivers ever in the history of NASCAR.

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