But when the 2004 champion of NASCAR's top series stepped out of a helicopter and onto the grassy infield area of Charlotte Motor Speedway this past Sunday afternoon, he heard something very different indeed. The crowd assembled in the frontstretch grandstand welcomed Busch with a warm ovation that moved the Stewart-Haas Racing driver to tip his cap, as if he were a ballplayer acknowledging cheers after a home run. On the way from his impromptu landing spot to the driver introduction stage for the Coca-Cola 600, he slapped hands with fans lined up along a railing. It was like that all month for Busch, who became just the fourth man to compete in both the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500, and over the course of that long, single Sunday did so much to reshape how the public views him. More...