Kyle Busch's scary secret revealed in Kansas victory: He's getting better

Rea White

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Kyle Busch's scary secret revealed in Kansas victory: He's getting better image

As hard as it may seem to believe, Kyle Busch appears to be picking up the pace this season.

Less than a year after returning from injuries in the season-opening 2015 Xfinity Series race, Busch has three Sprint Cup victories — including the win in Saturday night's GoBowling.com 400 at Kansas Speedway.

MORE: Race results | Images | Bad break for Truex | Next stop: Dover

He didn't have the fastest car at Kansas — that belonged Martin Truex Jr., who endured a gut-wrenching setback when a tire was loose after a late pit stop.

Still, Busch found a way to make it happen. Again.

Oh, and in the process, he checked another track off his to-do list. Entering the night, Kansas was one of three tracks on which he had not won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Now the magic number is two of the 23 tracks in current use — Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the series runs in May and October; and Pocono Raceway, in June and July.


Kyle Busch (Getty Images)

With the way things are going, it wouldn't be unexpected to see Busch win at those tracks as well.

How impressive is his current streak? Busch has finished worse than second once in the past six races — and all three of his wins have come in that stretch. He won back-to-back at Martinsville Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.

Surprisingly, though, Busch admitted to a lack of confidence at a track where he hasn't won.

"Yeah, actually," he said when asked about a difference in his level of confidence at these tracks. "Yes, to answer your question. It was more so when we came off of pit road. For some reason I was a little bit loose. I was trying to take care of my tires and make sure I wasn't slipping 'em and overheating 'em.  

"But [teammate Matt] Kenseth was catching me. I was like, 'OK, I got to go. I got to find some speed.' I wasn't able to find any. At that moment, I'm wondering, 'OK, what am I doing wrong, what am I doing different from the previous run and why am I in this position?' Fortunately, like I said, those couple restarts that I got, I just had a chance to regroup, resettle in and get my car back underneath me. That was the key for us."

Busch was aided by a tire gamble at the hands of crew chief Adam Stevens, whom he praised after the win. The team went 56 laps under green-flag conditions, risking that the tires would hold up enough to put him in position to win and hold off the field.

"I wouldn't give me all the credit. I've certainly had a lot of great people surround me." — Kyle Busch

Stevens was comfortable making the call based on how tires were wearing in the race — and on the driver he has behind the wheel. Busch and Stevens are quick to compliment one another, working to share the credit on all of their successes.

It's clearly a partnership that is working for all involved.

"He's got a very storied career, done a lot of great things," Stevens said of Busch. "To help him accomplish the few things he hasn't done is really cool."

Team owner Joe Gibbs joins the list of those impressed with what this pair is accomplishing. A longtime veteran of both the NFL and NASCAR, Gibbs recognizes just what this kind of streak means — and how special it is. Especially winning at another track where he has failed to do so.

"What I said is I want to get to the two he hasn't won at," Gibbs said. "He's hot right now. He and Adam are hot. I know it was a big deal for him. We know he can win anywhere. I do think, you know, sometimes it's amazing to me that you hear some drivers really like someplace, really don't like some other place.

"But I think Kyle here, we've had our tough times, but I think he's battled back to a point where I think, you know, he really can win anyplace. So it will be exciting when we get to the next two places."

Busch obviously has to be thinking about the prospect as well.

He's been through a lot to get here. He missed the first 11 races last season after breaking his right leg and left foot in the season-opening Xfinity race at Daytona, returning to Cup races in mid-May. NASCAR gave him a waiver from the requirement to attempt each race, requiring only that he win a race and move into the top 30 in points standings before the Chase for the Sprint Cup began. A year ago, one wouldn't have said he "only" had to do that as it seemed a daunting task. But Busch made it look somewhat easy.

Now, he and Stevens have the team once more looking like a championship contender.

As he basks in the moment, enjoying his return not only to full-time racing but also regularly to Victory Lane, Busch is quick to spread the credit for his incredible comeback — and continued success.

"I wouldn't give me all the credit," he said. "I've certainly had a lot of great people surround me. I had a lot of great help with my medical team and everybody that helped me get healthy, my wife [Samantha] especially, all the care she took of myself while she was seven months pregnant and everything that was going on at home.

"More importantly, maybe not more importantly, but just as important is Adam Stevens, the relationship he and I have, the time we spent with one another in the Xfinity Series, being able to get to know each other. I think, too, the time he had crew chiefing without me, with David Ragan, Erik Jones, Matt Crafton, those guys that drove my racecar, understanding and getting to know them, how to make the race car better for when I returned, that it was just ready to change the name above the door, get back at it."

Now, in addition to making sure all share in his success, he's also applying the lessons he learned from what started as a disastrous 2015 — then morphed into his first Cup championship.

So far, it's working great.

"I'd say I had a little bit different demeanor, way about going about these races," he said. "I don't think anything in these races is going to be as tough as being able to go through the things I went through with physical therapy and being able to get back."

Rea White