Kyle Busch will miss the Daytona 500 due to a right leg injury suffered on Saturday during an Xfinity Series race at the super speedway.
The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is, for the moment, completely Busch free. By that, we mean that neither of the brothers are competing in it. Kurt Busch was recently suspended in regards to a Delaware court ruling regarding domestic abuse charges levied against him by his ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll. And now, Kyle, the seemingly more likable of the two, has suffered an injury while racing in the Xfinity Series in Daytona.
He will miss Sunday’s race as well, but will be watching the event from the comfort of his bed at Halifax Medical Center, right across the street.
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Busch, 29, broke his right leg when his car crashed into a concrete wall on Saturday, and will be replaced by Matt Crafton ahead of Sunday’s Daytona 500.
He underwent successful surgery Saturday evening, however, team owner Joe Gibbs has not determined just how long we can expect to see Busch sidelined. His wife, Samantha, wished their replacement driver luck for Sunday, and thanked everyone associated with her husband’s medical response via Facebook.
“Kyle and I wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank everyone for your prayers and kind words during this difficult time. The response from all of you was so overwhelming and uplifting words cannot describe how much we appreciate it. Kyle just finished up some breakfast and is resting comfortably. Although his injuries are serious we thank God he is alive and that he is in the best spirits you can expect for a time like this. I love this man so much that even through all his injuries and pain the first thing he asked when he saw me was how our little boy was doing. He melts my heart at what an amazing father he will be! The staff also nicely checked little man’s heartbeat last night to put us at ease and it was strong! Kyle and I would like to wish the entire 18 team much success today and thank Matt Crafton for stepping in. We also pray for safety for all the drivers out on the track and thank the entire NASCAR community for their outpouring of concern and support. I will keep you posted on his progress and we continue to ask for prayers for a speedy recovery.”
The temporary loss of Busch is a decent blow to the sport, as he has become one of NASCAR’s most successful and popular drivers over the last decade. His 141 wins across all levels of NASCAR racing (truck series, Xfinity, and Sprint Cup) are the most since his debut in 2001, by a significant margin.
Getting ready to watch the Daytona 500! Cheering on our 18 boys! 🏁 pic.twitter.com/3dJnsYICa8
— Samantha Busch (@SamanthaBusch) February 22, 2015
In 2010, Busch won 24 races across the three series, a record for the sport. That same season, he became the only driver in NASCAR history to win at the same track in all three circuits on the same weekend (Bristol Motor Speedway).
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