Phillips: Both Kyle Busch and the race track he won on have changed for the better

As he cruised to his third straight victory Saturday night, the sound coming from the grandstand was not the usual boos but a warm cheer for a driver who is now indisputably among the sport’s best.

There were good feelings at the track, too. Years of attendance declines finally reversed, with everything breaking Richmond’s way.

The green flag dropped at a downright reasonable 6:30 p.m., on a pleasant 64-degree night. The crowd, while not full, looked significantly better than it did last spring. NASCAR doesn’t announce attendance, but media members ballparked it at 42,500.

New additions as part of the track’s remodeling were a hit as well, from the CLIMAX CORNER party deck to the new, larger garages for teams.

“I feel like we got our swagger back a little bit,” track president Dennis Bickmeier said. “That project really sparked some momentum, but I feel like everyone’s really upbeat. Swagger is the word I keep coming back to.”

Work remains to be done, something Bickmeier acknowledged, but there now appears to be a path forward to the track’s first sellout since 2008.

The two decades before that, which featured 33 straight sold-out races, will be remembered as a time where the track grew too fast, too quickly — from a capacity of 59,368 to 112,029.

Now the track is back at the former number, aiming to reclaim its past glory.

If NASCAR laying the seeds of resurgence is surprising, that’s not nearly as shocking as the reception Busch got after his victory.

The fans who showered him with empty beer cans a decade ago welcomed him in for a warm embrace.

“It was certainly different tonight,” Busch said. “I saw a lot of yellow (his car color) at the front.

“I was definitely eyeing who was there. I saw a lot of No. 18 stuff, and decided to go get some guys and some kids, give some high fives and what ups.”

Team owner Joe Gibbs credited the dominance Busch has shown in recent years, noting that fans respond to that success.

It may also be that fans, who initially rejected Busch’s abrasive personality, are now responding positively to a driver who has the guts to have one, in the age of young drivers chasing the corporate dollar.

Whatever it is, it’s what the sport needs more of, as Busch’s maneuvering captivated the crowd, then a well-timed race and smooth traffic flow got fans home before midnight.

A decade ago, both of those would have been laughable notions.