Kyle Busch watched the season opener from a hospital bed, his pregnant wife and his dogs by his side.
Advertisement
Kyle Busch roared into the lead on a re-start 7 laps from the finish and went on to win the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday.
Busch withstood multiple surgeries, went through a grueling rehabilitation program and missed only 11 races.
Busch did not win a race through the first three rounds of the Chase, but still managed to advance to the final four in points.
“Going through the rehab, it was hard”. For the second straight week, rain delayed the start of the race. “I gotta get back early”.
“Just having to re-go through the knee and to cut the knee open again in order to pull the rod out, that’s going to be the most traumatic part and just having that have to heal and go back together and let the muscle get back together, and of course the tendon, as well, too”, he said.
Busch outlasted defending champion Kevin Harvick, who finished 3rd, and sentimental favorite Jeff Gordon who finished 6th in his final NASCAR Sprint Cup Race, to capture his 34th career victory; the most important of his career thus far.
Danica Patrick wears a Jeff Gordon tribute cap during the driver introductions for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. Gordon finished sixth. Kevin Harvick made a run at Busch but settled for second. “I’m a little disappointed, I’ll be honest”, he said after the race ended, referring to not being able to win what would have been his fifth championship.
Matt Crafton replaced Busch for the Daytona 500, then David Ragan for nine races with Erik Jones for one before Busch got back in the seat. That was about as good as he’d be the rest of the race as he struggled mightily with the handling of his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “I’ve had about six or seven here tonight and it’s pretty awesome to have that opportunity to be here and to see guys like this one right here (Jeff Gordon), Mr. Four Time”. I thought going into today we had something for them.
Gordon eventually made his way to victory lane to congratulate Busch, who began his career as Gordon’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports.
Denny Hamlin started the race on the pole, but Busch and Harvick quickly established themselves as the top two contenders for the Sprint Cup. He’s the most successful driver in the second-tier Xfinity Series and on Friday he captured his fourth owners’ championship in the Truck Series.
Truex, the underdog driving for single-car team Furniture Row Racing, also didn’t have enough in his Chevy to contend despite a handful of gutsy pit calls the team used out of desperation.
“We never could quite hit on anything to get the vehicle to do the things we needed it to”, Truex said.
When the pitting cycled through, Logano had the lead, Busch was second and Harvick third. Kyle Busch was soon looking for second and had the spot on lap 174; Harvick took third from Truex on lap 175. Busch is in a great ride at Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch ran out of fuel Pocono in August and a week later at Watkins Glen, Stevens told him to save gas for a green-white-checkered that never came. Once out front, Busch eased away from the field and by Lap 25, had a 1.9 second lead over second-place Carl Edwards. “A dream of a lifetime, a dream come true…”
The 44-year-old Gordon announced in January that this would be his last season.
Advertisement
Busch outraced them all, especially when it counted as he was one of the most consistent drivers throughout the chase. But he has mellowed with marriage, gained perspective after the Daytona wreck, and was determined to be on his feet in the delivery room when wife Samantha delivered their first baby, a boy born in May – right after Busch returned to the race auto and celebrated his 30th birthday.
