A mere eight points races into returning to action after breaking his leg and foot in a frightening accident Feb. 21 at Daytona, Busch has three wins in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and sits 58 points out 30th place in the standings — the ranking threshold for him to qualify for a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship run.
But even those most loyal and supportive of Kyle Busch fans couldn’t have foreseen this hasty and efficient means of taking care of business. Three wins in four weeks — on three different types of race tracks — from a driver who by most medical standards should still be "easing" into a comeback from serious injury.
Busch "should" be hobbling and wincing to each checkered flag. Instead he’s taken the flag for a victory lap three of the last four weeks.
It’s the second time in his career that he’s won races 16, 18 and 19 on the schedule. (He did it in 2008 when those races were Sonoma, Daytona and Chicagoland.) But the timing couldn’t be better. Or more crucial.
He basically spotted the field 11 full points races and is still on pace to earn a championship chance. Who does that?
Kyle Busch does.
And it has spurred an interesting phenomenon. As Busch, 30, takes his well-deserved victory bows he’s getting a lot fewer victory boos. He’s gone from the sport’s "bad boy" to its most "rad boy."
His effort may be the most transformative thing to happen in his career — more than moving from one iconic organization to another (Hendrick Motorsports to Joe Gibbs Racing), more so than collecting race trophies left and right across NASCAR’s full spectrum of series.
RELATED: Timeline of Busch injury, recovery
Busch’s recovery from injury — he was back racing a good month earlier than most predicted – and the against-the-odds performances after missing the first 11 races, have won over fans and created one of the most compelling championship storylines since six-time champ Jimmie Johnson started reeling off five consecutive titles.
Busch has always been highly motivated. Watch any of his runner-up or top-five interviews and you know how much he hates to lose. So it’s not like he’s trying harder to win now than he did before.
He is a shining example of how much good can come from much challenge. And that’s inspiring his competitors and impressing NASCAR fans.
Busch’s team owner, former Super Bowl winning coach Joe Gibbs, sees the change in his driver.
"I think what’s happened as we start our lives and we’re going through life… Think about when he [Busch] first came on the scene in NASCAR,” Gibbs said in an extended interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio following Busch’s July 11 win at Kentucky Speedway.
"He was a young guy, single, trying to make his mark, aggressive as all get-out, got his emotions on his sleeve, every now and then would blow up at different situations.
"OK, think about where he is today over the period of the time that we’ve seen him kind of mature through his racing career. He’s now married. He’s now got a child. He’s gone through some of those bitter disappointments and learned from them that, ‘hey, if you do this, there’s going to be painful consequences.’ He’s super-smart, and I think now that he’s doing just a better job of handling things."
RELATED: Gibbs recalls Theismann injury after Busch crash
The knock on Kyle is that he is fantastically talented – his 145 wins in NASCAR’s three marquee series are most among active drivers by 48 victories over Jeff Gordon‘s 97 — but he hasn’t put together a solid run in the championship crunch time.
After what Busch has had to overcome this season, should Busch qualify for the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoff, he automatically becomes a favorite in many people’s eyes.
"You know, if somebody would have said, You’re going to come back and you’re going to win three of four, how many have I raced now, eight, whatever, I would have said, ‘Yeah, right, you’re crazy,’ " Busch explained Sunday after his win at New Hampshire.
"But it’s certainly doable. Like I said, I got to give credit where credit’s due. Our race team is really good right now. Joe got on them a little bit a while back and told them, Let’s fix this. They listen. When Joe talks, they listen. …
"I feel like there’s a plan in this world for all of us. God certainly put one on my table this year that I don’t know that I’ve had this big of a challenge before. That was in the injury and now, getting back in the race car, getting back in the Chase.
"You know, in my mind, the opportunity I got put in front of me was to run 20 championship weeks from here on out ’til the end of the year. That’s what it’s going to be for us.
"We’re making the most of that right now."
