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Kyle Busch

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2014 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona

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They say it takes a combination of luck and skill to be successful in racing, and nobody took that to heart in the Unlimited more than Kyle Busch. After getting together with Brad Keselowski in the final segment, Busch looked to be toast—but somehow managed to hang on to his racecar and contend for the win. He had an almost identical wild ride in the 2012 version of the Unlimited and won that one. He didn’t quite get there this time, finishing third to teammate Denny Hamlin, but Busch again treated fans to his amazing car control. The luck factor also worked in Busch’s favor as the rest of the field avoided his spinning Toyota. But Busch was both lucky and good in this one.

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2013 Daytona 500

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Matt Kenseth looked like he might be the first driver to go back-to-back in the Great American Race since Sterling Marlin did it in 1994-’95. Kenseth led four times for a total of 86 laps and ran in the top group all day, until a drivetrain failure ended his race 51 laps early in 37th place. (Editor’s Note: The official cause listed on the results sheet was “engine;” Joe Gibbs Racing officials are still determining the ultimate culprit). Kenseth did nab the bonus point for leading the most laps, impressive for his debut with a new team but left Daytona 33rd in points. Realistically, that won’t hurt his title hopes, but it had to be deflating for a driver in his first race with brand-new sponsors and crewmen.

Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2013 Budweiser Duel 150s at Daytona

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Duel One – Kevin Harvick thought it was time to go, prior to the first green-flag pit stop of the race and he went, blowing by Trevor Bayne on Lap 37. That was pretty much all she wrote. The field spent the rest of the day simply trying to lap up Harvick’s beer exhaust, the Bud Chevy in another time zone just like the Sprint Unlimited Saturday night.

Duel Two – Jeff Gordon led. Then he sped… on pit road, so Kyle Busch pretty much took control from there. Kasey Kahne tried, and failed on the last lap to make a charge as teammate Matt Kenseth served as sacrificial lamb for Busch’s second career Duel victory.

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2013 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona

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The good news is that nobody had to worry about points on Saturday night. The bad news is that many teams come to Daytona with three cars: their Sprint Unlimited car, Daytona 500 car and Daytona 500 backup. After a practice wreck, some teams could be left scrambling. Carl Edwards’s team already loaded his Unlimited car on a hauler bound for Charlotte after his practice wreck; they’ll fix it, hang new sheetmetal, and bring it back to serve as the Daytona 500 backup as Edwards was forced to pull his original second car out for Saturday’s race.

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2012 AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix

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Dale Jarrett said it best: as much as everyone wanted to see the race end, and as close as some teams were on fuel mileage, there needed to be a caution for Danica Patrick on the green-white-checkered attempt. NASCAR’s failure to throw the yellow was costly. As Harvick took the checkers, several cars sustained heavy damage as their drivers raced for position coming to the finish line, only to realize that there was fluid on the track from Patrick’s limping car. Menard slammed into the back end of Patrick’s slower car so hard that the No. 10 was thrown into the air. Ryan Newman, Mark Martin, Menard and Brad Keselowski all suffered damage. Kurt Busch’s car was destroyed and on fire.

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2012 AAA Texas 500

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There was a time when racing hard with the title contenders would have brought out the worst in Kyle Busch. But this time around, Busch put on a clinic of how to do it right. Busch had a top-three car, and when late-race cautions bunched up the field, he had a shot to race Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson for position — and he did it in the best possible way. He didn’t roll over and give either Chase driver a spot; instead, he raced them both with maximum effort, balancing that with controlled aggression. Busch didn’t race them checkers or wreckers; he raced them hard and clean.

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2012 AAA 400 at Dover

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Sometimes those who have nothing to lose are the most dangerous of all. For most of the day on Sunday, it looked as though Kyle Busch, who failed to make the Chase this year, had the field covered at Dover. If the race hadn’t come down to fuel mileage, Busch would most likely have been the driver in Victory Lane. True to his take-no-prisoners style, Busch took the race lead from teammate Denny Hamlin and from there, cut nobody a break — not even Hamlin, who is very much in the title hunt. Leading 302 of 400 circuits, the only thing stopping Busch was that extra stop for gas, slipping him to a seventh-place finish when winner Brad Keselowski and others could go the distance.