It’s been a great week for Kyle Busch.
On Tuesday morning, Busch announced on Twitter that he would be returning to his No. 18 Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series this weekend for the Sprint All-Star Race. The announcement came after being medically cleared following recovery for injuries sustained in the Xfinity Series opener at Daytona in February.
The announcement was met with fervor on social media, but the week got even better for Busch fans. On Wednesday, NASCAR announced that Busch will be granted a Chase waiver should he be able to win a race and finish in the top 30 in points. The rule waived states that drivers are only eligible for the Chase should they start all championship events of the season.
The announcement did not come as a surprise, as NASCAR Chairman Brian France said last month that the sanctioning body would “try to figure out how to accommodate [Busch]” in his quest to make the Chase. France went on to say that the injuries sustained by Busch “[were] on us. You can’t run around, say safety is your number one priority and get that stuff wrong.”
Busch hit an unprotected wall in the final laps of the Alert Florida Today 300, which caused injuries to his right leg and left foot and caused him to miss the first 11 weeks of the Sprint Cup season.
Busch will have 15 races to meet the qualifications, which seem impossible in principle but, according to Frontstretch‘s Tom Bowles, is quite doable.
“Our decision to grant Kyle a waiver that allows him to continue running for a championship is one we discussed extensively,” NASCAR executive VP and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell said. “The spirit of the rule never was designed to punish drivers who are unable to compete due to extenuating circumstances such as recovering from a racing accident. We wish Kyle the best of luck in the balance of the season, and look forward to his return to the car this week.”