JGR driver missed 11 points races, will suit up Saturday
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Let there be no doubt that Kyle Busch is ready to be back.
Asked what he missed most in the three months he’s been recovering from injury, he didn’t hesitate.
“The biggest thing I missed is being able to hold up trophies and being in Victory Lane,” Busch said Tuesday in a conference call with the national racing media to announce his return to the seat of the No. 18 Toyota Camry in Saturday’s Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway (9 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM).
Busch received medical clearance from his doctors and NASCAR on Monday. He has yet to make a start this season after suffering a compound fracture in his right leg and a broken left foot in the Feb. 21 season-opening XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
I’m back. #RowdyReturns https://t.co/gWCs00aH4p
— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) May 12, 2015
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The shorter All-Star race and its segment-and-break format was enticing for the return, Busch said.
“I think it’s a great race to come back to, it’s shorter and it’s a non-points event and there’s mandatory cautions after every 25 laps so it gives you an opportunity to take a breather, take a rest and that will all help me make adjustments to myself as well as being behind the wheel of the 2015 Camry for the first time because I haven’t had the opportunity to race at all in this aero package,” Busch said.
” … For me, getting into the All‑Star Race I felt like was a good idea just based of the fact of being able to get in, get behind the wheel, being able to go 200 miles an hour again, get a small taste of it, make sure everything is good, the body is good, everything is fine, which I anticipate it to be.
“If there’s things I need to work on, maybe I can work on during the week to get myself a little bit more prepared for the 600 coming up to the longest one. I definitely would have said coming back for the 600 is going to be really, really tough. That’s why I feel like the All‑Star Race is the perfect advantage to be able to come back. “
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While NASCAR has given Busch the green flag to compete, it has not ruled yet on whether Busch would receive a medical exemption to challenge for the championship should he otherwise qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. (UPDATE: NASCAR grants Busch Chase waiver)
The rules state a driver must at least attempt to qualify for all 26 regular-season races to be eligible to earn a berth. A driver earns a Chase berth by winning a race and being ranked among the top 30 in the points standings, with the remaining slots filled by the highest-ranking driver in the Sprint Cup standings. (RELATED: How Busch can earn his way to playoffs)
There are 15 races remaining for Busch to score a victory and gather enough points to break into the top 30. The maximum number of points a driver can earn each weekend is 48 — and that includes winning a race and leading the most laps.
The current 30th-place driver is Tony Stewart, who has 179 points through the first 11 races.
“I know there’s been some good dialogue on the subject but I’m not aware that there’s a decision made at this point,” Busch said. “As I mentioned last month, I’d love to race for a win and a spot in the Chase. I believe the top-30 rule makes a lot of sense.
“For me, in my mind, it was intended for someone in my situation, for someone who has a car and team and sponsor set to run the entire year for a championship. I think it was set up to try and keep guys from just trying to grab a win at a road course or restrictor-plate track or something like that.
“We’ll see what happens. That’s in (NASCAR’s) hands and we’ll see what the decision is.”
Should Busch receive a medical exemption, he has reason to be optimistic about his playoff chances. He has wins on 10 of the 13 tracks left to set the Chase field, including both road courses, Sonoma Raceway (one) and Watkins Glen International (two).
In fact, 19 of Busch’s 29 career Sprint Cup wins have come on the 13 remaining regular-season venues. He has four wins alone at Richmond, which hosts the regular season finale, and five at Bristol.
Busch has shared the recovery process with his fans on social media during the past three months, showing the evolution from hospital bed to wheelchair to standing alone. And in the last two weeks Busch finally got behind the steering wheel again, testing a late model at a North Carolina short track.
“Well, it was shaking the rust off for me, but also just proving that I can handle brake pressures, clutch, all that stuff with the foot, making sure the leg wouldn’t tense up or spasm or anything in the race car being locked in sort of a particular angle,” Busch explained. “The test went really well. It worked good to simulate as much of the racing situations as we could. I ran over 300 laps in the first lap down in Greenville‑Pickens (S.C.). The brake pressure I felt was probably comparable most to Dover, Charlotte being lighter than what Dover would be.”
He and team owner Joe Gibbs have maintained from the very beginning that there was no rush on the recovery — that everyone has been committed to a cautious and safe healing taking precedence.
And Busch joked even after getting medical clearance from the doctor, team and NASCAR, “I don’t know that I convinced my wife 100 percent yet. It’s a process.”
On the practical side, however, Busch said even his doctors were impressed with the speed and thoroughness of his recovery.
“I think as far as physical shape and working out, I’ve been doing therapy three, sometimes four and five days a week, so I feel like I’m well ready to go and the cardio aspect is there and the physical aspect is all well there,” Busch said.
He likened the pedal pressure he felt testing the car to being about the same pressure he has felt doing leg presses in physical therapy.
“There’s probably some soreness there, but I wouldn’t call it pain,” Busch said. “In my mind, if I had to say the thing that concerns me the most and it would only be on a 2-factor out of a scale of 1-10 is the amount of walking I have to do between the hauler and the car and pit road for qualifying, but (qualifying) won’t be an issue this week for the All-Star Race. … Being in the car I felt really good in the late model tests.
“My feet and legs, everything works good inside the race car. It’s just the amount of time standing on my feet, they tend to get tired a little more quicker than they used to.”
During his first few races back, Busch said his Joe Gibbs Racing team will have 18-year old Erik Jones on stand-by to fill in if necessary. Jones was one of three drivers — along with Matt Crafton and David Ragan — who substituted for Busch this season. The rookie Jones made his first Cup start last weekend at Kansas Speedway, qualifying Busch’s Toyota 12th and running among the top 10 before a late-race accident relegated him to a 40th-place finish.
RELATED: Erik Jones smacks wall, ruining Kansas run
May is a big month for Busch even beyond his impending return to racing. He celebrated his 30th birthday on May 2, and he and wife Samantha are expecting their first child, a son, in the coming weeks.
Busch said the baby is actually due on May 22, but acknowledged the possibility of it being born this weekend, coinciding with the Sprint All-Star Race. With Jones already on stand-by and with the race taking place near their home in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, Busch said he felt very comfortable with the situation.
INSIDE GROOVE: Samantha Busch reveals baby nursery
“If she goes into labor my plan is always to be there for the birth,” Busch said. “The good thing about Charlotte is we have more flexibility being here than if we were on the other side of the country. We’ll see what happens the next few days.”