Kyle Busch to make NASCAR return this weekend

Neither Kyle Busch nor his doctors thought he’d be coming back from serious leg injuries in fewer than three months, and yet Busch will make his NASCAR return Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

One day after receiving medical clearance, Busch announced his return to full-time competition in a 23-second hype video Tuesday morning and in a tweet saying, “I’m back #RowdyReturns.”

“I feel like this is a great accomplishment for myself, for nobody else but myself, just to be able to come back as quickly as I’ve been able to,” Busch told reporters on a teleconference. “I don’t know that anybody would have expected the All-Star Race would have been a place for me to come back when we were laying down in the hospital bed in Daytona.”

Busch was injured when he crashed into an unprotected concrete wall during the Feb. 21 Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. The accident left the 30-year-old with a broken right leg and left foot.

While sidelined, Busch missed the first 11 Cup races of the year. In his place Matt Crafton started the season-opening Daytona 500, with David Ragan taking over for the next nine events. JGR developmental driver Erik Jones took the wheel of the No. 18 Toyota last Saturday at Kansas Speedway.

Due to NASCAR testing restrictions, Busch gauged his readiness by testing a late-model stock car twice in the past two weeks. During the first test he completed more than 300 laps at Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway and followed that by running at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway last week.

After both sessions Busch felt good, though had some soreness his foot, and doesn’t expect any complications at Charlotte. He will not wear a brace Saturday.

“It was shaking the rust off for me, but also just proving that I can handle brake pressures, clutch, all that stuff with the foot, making sure the leg wouldn’t tense up or spasm or anything in the race car being locked in sort of a particular angle,” Busch said. “The test went really well. It worked good to simulate as much of the racing situations as we could.”

Busch underwent intensive physical therapy, often three to six hours per day and up to as many as five days per week. Although he’s never been out of the car for this long, he doesn’t think it will take him much to reacclimatize and hopes “it’s just like riding a bike.”

“I feel like I’m well, ready to go, that the cardio aspect is there, and the physical aspect of it is all there,” Busch said. “I don’t foresee there being any setbacks in that regard.”

As a precautionary measure in case Busch is unable to drive, JGR will have Jones on standby for the next few races -- Busch’s wife, Samantha, is due to give birth to the couple’s first child May 22.

Since the All-Star Race is an exhibition -- and at only 165 miles in length, far shorter than any other Cup race -- it presents Busch a good opportunity to prepare for the following week’s Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest event of the season.

“I think it’s a great race to come back to ... there’s mandatory cautions after every 25 laps and whatnot, so it gives you an opportunity to take a breather, take a rest, whatever it may be,” Busch of the All-Star Race. “That will allow me to make adjustments to myself as well as being behind the wheel of the 2015 Camry for the first time because I haven’t had an opportunity to race at all in this aero package.”

Because Busch missed 11 races and would need to receive a medical waiver from NASCAR to be make the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff, provided he wins one of 15 regular-season races remaining. The sanctioning body would also need to waive the requirement that a driver finish 30th or better in points to be eligible.

To date, NASCAR has not announced whether to grant Busch a waiver and make an exception to its top-30 rule. He said he’s deserving because he intended to run the whole season and the principle of the points requirement is to prevent a part-time driver from taking a playoff spot from a full-time participant.

Tony Stewart is currently 30th in the standings, having amassed 179 points. The average point total for the 30th-ranked driver over the past four years is 420.8, meaning Busch need to average a 16th-place finish upon his return. His career average finish is 15.2 and only once in the past nine years has he failed to post an average finish better 16th -- last season.

“I know there’s been some good dialogue on the subject, but I’m not aware that there’s been a decision made at this point,” Busch said. “We’ll see what happens. That’s in their hands. We’ll see what the decision is.”