Kyle Busch to return for Sprint All-Star Race
Kyle Busch is going to be back racing in a Sprint Cup Series car on Saturday.
Busch, who has missed the entire 2015 Sprint Cup Series season to date, will return to the circuit for the Sprint All-Star Race. Busch suffered a broken leg and a broken foot in a crash during the season-opening Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
Matt Crafton filled in for him during the Daytona 500 and David Ragan drove nine races in the No. 18 car. Erik Jones, a Joe Gibbs Racing development driver who drives for Busch in the Camping World Truck Series, filled in for Busch on Saturday night at Kansas. Jones was running sixth when he crashed on lap 196.
The All-Star Race is a non-points event and provides a relatively-low pressure situation for Busch to return to NASCAR’s top level. Yes, the winner of the race receives $1 million, but the stop-and-start nature of the five-segment race will provide a good experiment under race conditions. If the race is deemed a success for Busch, you’ll undoubtedly see him in the seat of the No. 18 car for the Coca-Cola 600 and beyond.
Busch was injured when his car slammed into a wall that was not protected with SAFER barrier, a wall system that is insulated with energy-absorbing foam. Because of the nature (and NASCAR’s ignorance) of the crash, NASCAR CEO Brian France said the sanctioning body would look to find a way to make Busch eligible for the Chase upon his return.
Currently, drivers must be in the top 30 in points and have a win to make the Chase. If NASCAR gives Busch special dispensation to make the Chase with a win, it could conceivably (and stupidly) waive the top 30 requirement for qualification for Busch to be Chase-eligible.
Through 11 races, 30th-place Tony Stewart has 179 points; he’s averaging roughly 16 points per race. It’s a pace of 423 points for 26 races and for Busch to get to 423 points in 15 races, he’d need to average approximately 28 points per race (a 16th-place finish). Currently, 13 drivers are averaging better than a 16th-place finish in 2015.
Would getting into the top 30 be a difficult task for Busch, especially given the nature of his injuries? Absolutely. However, it’s not impossible, especially if he wins a race to make the Chase a legitimate discussion anyway. It’s why NASCAR shouldn’t give Busch anything but dispensation waiving the every-race requirement for the Chase. He’s coming back early enough to make qualification without any extraordinary assistance from NASCAR a legitimate possibility. Let’s see what happens organically.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
