Kyle Busch What a Difference 127 Days Makes

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In: NASCAR Cup Series News

On February 21, 2015, Kyle Busch found himself in an unfamiliar spot – lying in hospital bed after suffering a broken right leg and left foot during an accident in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race that day at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

The winner of 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races wasn’t certain when his next victory would come. But just 127 days later and with a lot of hard work and rehabilitation in between, Busch found himself back in a familiar place – victory lane. The Las Vegas native had just won the Toyota/Save Mart 350k at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in dramatic fashion, passing six-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and others after the final restart of the race to bring home one of, if not the, sweetest victory of his 11-year career.

So it’s only fitting that the driver of the No. 18 Interstate All Battery Center Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) reaches yet another hurdle – a return to Daytona for Sunday night’s traditional midsummer Coke Zero 400 Sprint Cup race. Not only will Busch look to get back on the track and put February’s bad memories behind him, he’ll hope to add yet another victory to his Daytona resume.

Busch is certainly no stranger to victory lane at the Coke Zero 400, having won the July 2008 race behind the wheel of – yes – the Interstate Batteries Toyota. The Las Vegas native has fared much better in his summer races at Daytona as the track is much more slick thanks to Florida’s July heat. He has four top-five finishes in his 10 July starts at Daytona and also scored his first career pole position at a restrictor-plate track there in July 2013.

While another victory Sunday night would be sweet for many reasons, Busch and the No. 18 All Battery Center Team will also be making a huge push toward qualifying for the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs over the final 10 races remaining in NASCAR’s regular season. Busch has been given an exemption to make the 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup and has now scored a requisite win. But he also must rally to make it within the top-30 in driver points during the next 10 races. Busch is 37th in the standings with 125 points, sitting 136 markers behind 30th-place Cole Whitt, so a strong finish Sunday night would be another points windfall in his quest to get himself into NASCAR’s playoffs, which start in September.

Busch rolls into Daytona with support from Interstate Batteries and its Interstate All Battery Center retail stores as the company continues its franchise expansion throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America. Interstate All Battery Centers, which provide “Every Battery for Every Need” with more than 16,000 portal power solutions for all household needs, are recognized as a top-50 franchisor by Franchise Business Review.

So as Busch heads back to Daytona in his Interstate All Battery Center green-and-white-striped ride Sunday night, he’ll know that having been able to accomplish what he did in just 127 days, the sky is the limit on what he and his team can accomplish the rest of the season.

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Speedway Digest Staff
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