Kyle Busch still eligible for NASCAR Chase despite missing 11 races

Despite missing the first 11 races of the season, Kyle Busch can still qualify for NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup -- provided he wins a race and finishes in the top-30 in points.

NASCAR granted a Busch a waiver Wednesday for the races he’s missed, making him eligible for the playoffs if he can win one of 15 remaining regular-season races. However, the sanctioning body did not provide an exemption about a driver having to finish better than 30th in points, and that caveat means Busch will have to overcome a significant deficit.

Currently Tony Stewart is sitting 30th in the standings with 179 points. Going off the average point total for the 30th-ranked driver over the past four years, Busch will likely need to average a 16th-place finish to meet the requirement.

The Chase field is comprised of the driver who accumulates the most points during the regular season in addition to 15 race-winners. If there aren’t enough winners to fill out the grid, the balance is supplemented by the point standings.

A year ago Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman, the eventual championship runner-up, all received wildcard spots when only 13 drivers won during the 26-race regular season. Eight winners have won this year.

A 29-time winner in NASCAR’s premier division with a career average finish of 15.2, Busch is more than capable of claiming a Chase berth. But that’s assuming he shows no lingering effects from the injuries that sidelined him for the first part of the season.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver broke his right leg and left foot when he crashed into an unprotected concrete wall during the Feb. 21 Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Busch was cleared medically to return Monday and revealed his comeback plans the following day. His first event is the exhibition All-Star Race Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch spoke with reporters in detail about his accident last month and said then he was hoping NASCAR would waive the top-30 provision. NASCAR CEO and Chairman Brian France hinted as much while speaking at an Associated Press Sports Editors meeting in April, saying officials were “[more] likely than not that we’re going to try to figure out how to accommodate [Busch].” But NASCAR elected otherwise and announced its decision Wednesday.

“Our decision to grant Kyle a waiver that allows him to continue running for a championship is one we discussed extensively,” NASCAR executive vice president 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.”

Busch is among four notable drivers who’ve missed races this season. Kurt Busch, Kyle’s older brother, served a three-race suspension after being accused of domestic assault last fall; Brian Vickers is out indefinitely after a reoccurrence of blood clots; and Kyle Larson fainted the day before the March 29 race at Martinsville Speedway.