Putting pedal to metal
2015 Cup champ on big roll, leaving foes in his dust
With four wins and 11 top-five finishes, Kyle Busch won’t need a mulligan to become Sprint Cup champion the way he did last season. He might just run away with the thing.
Busch needed a waiver to make it into the 2015 postseason Chase scrum after suffering a broken left foot and compound fracture of his lower right leg a day before the Daytona 500 in an Xfinity Series race.
Busch is breaking other things these days, notably records. Witness his dominance last weekend in Indianapolis, where he became the first driver to sweep the Xfinity and Sprint Cup races two seasons in a row. He also won the pole for both races.
Busch led three times for a race-high 149 laps (out of 170) in the Brickyard 400, cruising in overtime without true challengers in his rearview mirror.
“The way he is winning races is unbelievable,” NBC Sports analyst Jeff Burton said. “I watch it with amazement.”
We all do. Those amazing skills were often overlooked a few years ago, when Busch struggled with his on-track temperament. His feisty demeanor has been an issue in dustups with other hard-wired drivers, notably Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski.
The feud with Keselowski is still simmering, which might not be a bad thing for a sport generally devoid of contentious rivalries these days.
But rivalries are always predicated on one thing: Both parties have to be competitive. Keselowski has that covered, currently ranking second in points. Harvick is first and Busch fifth.
No biggie. Busch’s points scenario is reflective of four DNFs (did not finish). He and his Toyota Camry are still the team to beat when they can stay clear of carnage. His consistency is etched in the 982 laps he has led this season, second to Martin Truex Jr.
What happened at Indy is more true to form, and it does not bode well for anyone giving chase.
“It’s fun to come out here and have such a dominant piece at Indy,” Busch said. “They don’t come along often, so I was just hoping I didn’t screw it up.”
This definitely has the feel of a championship that belongs to Busch, pending unforeseen variables. Any driver is a blown tire from getting eliminated in any of the four playoff rounds, including the Final Four format in Homestead, Fla., come November.
But Busch isn’t playing around. It’s all about championships, not consolation prizes.
“I can’t get my brain around sweeping a weekend,” NBC analyst Steve Letarte said. “This performance by Kyle Busch is truly legendary. Kyle Busch is starting to write a resume that compares with major names.”
All attached to championships. Grab your popcorn and stay tuned, kids.