After five races
in the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, fans can be forgiven for not recognizing
the driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 M&Ms Toyota. In years past, Busch
has been the poster child for self-destruction in the Chase, struggling on the
race track – and melting down off it – en route to early elimination from the
title picture.
This time
around, however, Busch has been a model of consistency. A fifth-place finish in
Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was his fifth
consecutive Top-10 Chase showing, and kept him solidly second in the
championship standings. With an average Chase finish of 6.6, Busch bears little
resemblance to the emotionally fragile driver who has repeatedly wilted under
the pressure of prior title runs.
Neither Busch
nor JGR ranked near the top of the pre-Chase favorites list. He staggered into
the postseason party with four finishes of 35th or worse in six starts,
and a best finish of 14th. Joe Gibbs Racing has struggled to find
speed, battling horsepower and aerodynamic issues that often left them a
half-step behind the competition. But while the indicators were all there for yet
another postseason flame out, Busch has maintained his focus in the face of
adversity.
Saturday night,
Busch made the most of a car that was good, but not great. He led
three times for a total of 41 laps and brought the M&Ms Toyota home fifth, in
one piece. After the race, when
all around him seemed to be losing their minds, he stood calmly on the sidelines
and watched it all unfold. There were no harsh words, no physical confrontations,
no scathing critique of his team, or others. Just the calm, self-assured smile
of a man who has established himself as a solid contender for the championship
at the halfway mark of the Chase.
All Busch needs now is a decent day
at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday to advance to the penultimate Eliminator
Round, with one of only eight available slots in the championship bracket. While
Toyota still has some catching up to do, Busch is keeping himself in the hunt.
Ironically,
he is in better shape to win the championship today than at any point in his 12-year
Sprint Cup Series career. Late
Saturday night, as he basked in the afterglow of his latest Top-5 showing,
Busch made it clear that he will play it smart on the treacherous, 2.5-mile
Talladega tri-oval.
"(I’ll) run
dead last all day (and) survive," he promised. "If there's one
big wreck, it puts us in and we're good."
Great point of view
ReplyDeleteDave, I am not trying to be derogatory but that's 6 slots available, not 8. Two are already taken.
ReplyDeleteMy point is (was) that he will advance to the next round as one of eight surviving contenders for the championship. But thanks for keeping me straight.
DeleteHe, Harvick and Gordon look like three of the four who will battle it out at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
ReplyDeleteAs a die heart Kyle fan-and honestly the only reason I even follow Nascar- I am overjoyed on how the 18 is performing, Kansas was a win for Kyle. Yes Charlotte was a little disappointing. I can understand why Kyle was a little frustrated-they still need speed. (maybe adopt the famous "bat wings"). Dega is a big worry-And for Kyle to sit back-and not get in there to mix it up, and race hard. Tells me how focused he is. And Dave Kyle didn't melt down last year-he finished 4th.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice article.
ReplyDeleteGruntled
Maybe since he is doing well this year he might pick up Kleenex for a sponsor ! Kurt and him can whine and cry together !
ReplyDelete