Editor’s Note: NASCAR is celebrating its 75th anniversary. SPEED SPORT was founded in 1934 and was already on its way to becoming America’s Motorsports Authority when NASCAR was formed. As a result, we will bring you Part 68 of a 75-part series on the history NASCAR.
Kyle Busch hoped he’d finish the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season on a high note. Hoisting the championship trophy wasn’t what he expected, but he made it a reality at Florida’s Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The 30-year-old driver’s first series title came as a result of being resilient and consistent.
He ran second for much of the Ford EcoBoost 400, the winner-take-all Championship round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Then, Busch passed Brad Keselowski after a late restart to earn the victory and the title over runner-up Kevin Harvick.
In the second iteration of NASCAR’s elimination-style playoff system, Busch and his team put together a stunning run that delivered Toyota its first Sprint Cup championship. Busch finished worse than 20th only once during the Chase, a 37th-place result at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
As his primary playoff rivals fell by the wayside, Busch surged ahead, finishing fifth or better in the last five races of the season.
Busch also became the first Sprint Cup Series champion since Richard Petty in 1971 to not compete in every race.
Busch missed the first 11 races — nearly a third of the season after breaking his right leg and left foot in a crash during the Feb. 22 NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
“It’s pretty unbelievable,” Busch said. “A dream of a lifetime — a dream come true and something that only happens every so often. I just can’t believe with everything that happened this year and all the turmoil, all the things that I went through, that my wife (Samantha) went through and the people that are around me went through.”
Matt Crafton, Erik Jones and David Ragan took turns in Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota during his recovery. Being out of action only strengthened his resolve.
“I said back then and I’ll say it again: The rehab of getting back, getting ready and focused — all that was the hardest part and the hardest thing I have ever gone through,” Busch explained.
“To put it all together, this wasn’t that hard but I had one special driver in Tony Stewart come see me and he helped me through a lot of that stuff.”
It would’ve been a good comeback story for Busch to simply race his way into the Chase.
He’s never been a driver known for stroking along, though, and his return to action in the Sprint All-Star Race on May 16 at Charlotte Motor Speedway proved it. Busch was competitive at Charlotte and showed no signs of fatigue. From there, he went on a streak hotter than anything the 10-year veteran had ever accomplished.
Busch won at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway on June 28.
After finishing 17th in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona Int’l Speedway, Busch triumphed on July 11 at Kentucky Speedway. He won again a week later at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and made it four wins in five races by securing victory in the Brickyard 400 at the vaunted Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Busch’s first win in one of NASCAR’s undisputed majors — Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Brickyard 400 — helped him leave an indelible mark on a series of which he’s been a part since he was a teenager.
It all paled in comparison to the championship. Busch’s road to glory thrilled his team and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, which hadn’t won a title since 2005. It also got the monkey off Toyota’s back.
The Japanese car maker entered the Sprint Cup Series in 2007 and had been close to tasting success at NASCAR’s highest level, but it took Busch’s run at Homestead to make it a reality. It was also the first championship for sponsor M&Ms, which has been involved in NASCAR racing for more than 20 years.
Finally, the unlikely title came with rookie crew chief Adam Stevens calling the shots.
“Those guys are awesome and amazing,” Busch said. “TRD (Toyota Racing Development) gave me a great engine. It was so fast and our car drove so good because of Adam Stevens and because of what he did and what he can do and what this company is about at Joe Gibbs Racing. This is a dream come true, a dream come true.”
Harvick won three races and wound up second in the standings, with Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr. and Carl Edwards completing the top five. Joey Logano won the Daytona 500 to start the season and won six races to lead the series, but he faltered during the playoffs and wound up sixth.
Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth each won five times during the campaign, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned a trio of victories.
Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Edwards all won twice. Single-race winners were Gordon, Truex and Keselowski.
Earnhardt was the most popular driver for the 13th straight season and Brett Moffitt was named rookie of the year.