Kyle Busch Ready to Chase Greatness After 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Title
No one has ever doubted that Kyle Busch is good. Even his detractors concede that.
His fans? They were waiting for Busch to be great. It's a matter of opinion, greatness, and the standards vary, but what he did at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday night had the stamp of greatness affixed. He won the Sprint Cup championship after coolly managing the Chase and won both the championship and the season's final race, known otherwise as the Ford EcoBoost 400.
"One thing I know for sure," Busch's rookie crew chief, Adam Stevens, said. "Kyle can find a way. Good or bad, he can find a way."
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| Series | Victories |
| Sprint Cup | 34 |
| Xfinity | 76 |
| Camping World Truck | 44 |
| K&N East | 1 |
| ARCA | 3 |
NASCAR's most frequent man in a hurry always spun his wheels in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He stacked races like cordwood. He won in Camping World Trucks and the Xfinity second-string series, and some said it ought not be allowed, taking away money and trophies meant for the bright prospects.
Why, it was bound to traumatize the youngsters, and part of it was that Busch was a youngster, too. Homestead marked the 390th Sprint Cup race of his career, and he's won 34. He's only 30. He was 20 when he won his first.
Busch competed in his first six Cup races in 2004, the year his older brother, Kurt, won NASCAR's first Chase. Only one other set of brothers, Terry and Bobby Labonte, has each won championships. Owner Joe Gibbs won his fourth. Toyota, the manufacturer, won its first.
The road to the championship began in a peculiar fashion. For Busch, it was under construction. During an Xfinity Series race in Daytona Beach, Florida, the day before the Cup season even started, Busch's car skidded off the asphalt during a multi-car crash and ran into a wall on the inside of the track that was solid concrete, not padded as most are these days. Busch broke his right leg and left foot.
Many cried foul on the great social media and talk show outposts of the nation, alleging that Busch's championship is somehow cheapened by the fact that he missed the first 11 races of the 36-race season. NASCAR chairman Brian France granted Busch a waiver to a provision that requires competing in every race as a condition of Chase eligibility. Essentially, the waiver meant he had to win a race and reach the top 30 in the regular-season point standings.
Busch won four. In a span of five. He won his fifth in the one that mattered: the final race. Who can fault him for doing what NASCAR decreed that he had to do?
Addressing the question of fairness, Busch said, "Regardless of whether it was or not, you know, we set forth and did the path that was given to us by NASCAR to go out there and win races and score enough points to become championship-eligible..."
"Well, you know, I'd be lying if I said I had any idea what we've even accomplished," Stevens said in the glorious aftermath. "It's been such a whirlwind year."
Criticize the policy that gave Busch his chance, but don't criticize the effort it took to capitalize.
"I would't recommend it if you're looking to achieve a championship this way," Busch said. "It's certainly not easy, but it'll make you mentally stronger and physically stronger.
"Going through the rehab and everything, it was hard. It was really, really hard...I had to stand on my broken leg and not put any weight on my left foot because the foot was worse."
When he crashed into that barrier in February, Busch knew instantly he'd broken his leg.
"I was, like, man, I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to get back in a car again," he said. "I just didn't know how severe it was, but fortunately for me, it wasn't that bad, and I was able to put it all back together and be here today."
Perhaps it was the adversity that made the difference. Maybe Busch needed a stern test to steel his resolve. He has spent much of his adult life being derided as a brat. Did the greatest ordeal of his career lead to the greatest triumph?
Busch said. "I guess I feel more at peace a little bit...It was just something that pushed me and gave me that drive to be, I guess, the man and person I am right now."
| Year | Rank |
| 2006 | 10 |
| 2007 | 5 |
| 2008 | 10 |
| 2010 | 8 |
| 2011 | 12 |
| 2013 | 4 |
| 2014 | 10 |
| 2015 | 1 |
As for the past Chase failures, Gibbs said, "...I think, in a lot of ways, [Kyle] was ready, but our race team probably wasn't."
"I guess [in] years past, we've had stupid things happen to us in the Chase, and it's eliminated us," Busch said, "but this year, we still had a couple of those moments, but we were still able to strive through and regain our strength and be able to make it through."
In Greek mythology, the warrior Achilles was invulnerable in every part of his body except his heel but died after being shot there by Paris. Thus did the term "Achilles' heel" come to signify a point of weakness. The Chase had been Kyle Busch's Achilles' heel until Sunday.
No more. It would surprise no one to see Busch emerge as NASCAR's next superstar. He is poised to roll in as Jeff Gordon rolls out.
"What a great driver," Gordon said in response to Busch's championship. "What a great champion. And with all he's been through this year, nobody is more deserving than him."
On top of the world. On top of his sport. Walking with a slight limp that surgery will correct in the offseason.
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All quotes are taken from NASCAR media, team and manufacturer sources unless otherwise noted.
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