Analysis: Kurt Busch soars with final push
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The carnage that was Sunday’s 59th running of the Daytona 500 was devastating when it came to twisted metal, bone-dry fuel tanks and broken hearts.
Take the 3-1 betting favorite, Dale Earnhardt Jr., for instance.
Coming off a fifth documented concussion that prematurely ended his 2016 NASCAR campaign, Earnhardt also was the sentimental favorite. When Kyle Busch wrecked on lap 104, he took Junior with him and the hopes of many in NASCAR Nation.
The super-fast kid whose Chevrolet was perched on the pole, Chase Elliott, was crushed when his Chevrolet ran out of gas on the final lap. Ditto for Kyle Larson’s Chevrolet.
Yes, unpredictability remains a Daytona 500 hallmark.
Sometimes, a driver and his team merely need a big helping of the stuff Frank Sinatra used to croon about back in the day. Yes, luck be a lady at the racetrack, too.
Kurt Busch of Las Vegas had it in spades Sunday. Tony Stewart, the former top NASCAR driver and co-owner of his team, said that Busch drove “the most patient race I’ve seen him run.’’
“Daytona’s always about survival,’’ Busch said. “As I gave (crew chief) Tony Gibson a high-five before we started the race, I said, ‘It’s 90 percent (about) protecting the car, 10 percent aggression, race hard and execute at the end.’’
When Busch’s strong competition was being dealt raw hands left and right — multiple-car crashes eliminated 15 stock cars — the 38-year-old driver kept staring down the house. The new segmented racing format threw a monkey wrench into some teams’ strategies. Tires became an issue. Veterans suddenly found themselves spinning across the infield grass or smacking the wall.
“Daytona will challenge you mentally and emotionally,’’ Busch said after his Stewart-Haas Racing Ford won the track’s war of attrition Sunday and he captured his first Daytona 500. “For me, with all the stuff getting thrown at us today, our car still had speed. I just kept digging.’’
Luck be a racing lady when your car owners are Gene Haas and Stewart. For the latter, winning the Daytona 500 as a co-owner was not a moment too soon. He stopped driving after the 2016 season.
“If I knew, I would’ve retired 17 years ago and got it that way,’’ Stewart cracked. “It’s a pretty cool deal. I mean, this is one that we’ve waited a long, long time (for).’’
Haas said the triumph “makes you feel like all the frustration, the years and years of not winning (Daytona), it just makes it all suddenly OK. It’s a great feeling to say we finally accomplished that, both Tony and myself.’’
Luck be a racing lady when your Ford engine-builder is the redoubtable Doug Yates.
Luck be a racing lady when your crew chief is Gibson.
“I knew Gibson was going to give us the right pit strategy,’’ Busch explained.
Gibson, who toiled for decades, grew up practically in the shadows of the Speedway. His father raced at Daytona. He was teary-eyed afterward.
“I’m getting old,’’ he said. “It’s nice to be able to get this done,’’ as a crew chief.
And for Busch, he was lucky to recently marry a lady named Ashley Van Metre. He married the model last month in the Caribbean.
“My wife has helped me digest better feelings towards how to approach situations,’’ said her husband.
“It’s like today when (my car’s rearview) mirror broke with 30 (laps) to go. I looked at it. I saw her in it. I’m like, ‘She’s just going to smile’ (at the misfortune).’ I tell you, age and wisdom, they come together.’’
Of course, something else often rears its head in racing. Sometimes, it’s a pretty sight, too.
“Then there is fate,’’ Busch said. “It helps you navigate through these wrecks. Sometimes, you just have to be lucky.’’
Busch found his lucky racing lady Sunday, in of all places, Daytona. Today, they both smile at their good fortune. It just might be a long honeymoon.
Jon Mark Saraceno can be reached at jsaraceno@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @jonnysaraceno.
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