Kyle Busch announced Tuesday morning on Twitter “I’m back” and included a short video that showed him suiting up and walking out of a hauler in full uniform. The video ended with "#Rowdy Returns May 16th.”
May 16th is the date of the Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch is already qualified for that event.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Tuesday morning that Busch has received medical clearance to resume racing.
Busch missed the first 11 Sprint Cup races of the season after he suffered a broken right leg and fractured left foot when his car struck an unprotected concrete barrier during the Feb. 21 Xfinity race at Daytona International Speedway.
Matt Crafton drove Busch’s car in the Daytona 500. David Ragan drove the car for the next nine races, and Erik Jones drove the car last weekend at Kansas Speedway.
Busch and the team never provided a timetable for his return, but he tested a Late Model car last week.
NASCAR and tracks have responded to Busch’s accident by placing temporary barriers in front of concrete barriers and by adding energy-absorbing SAFER barriers at other tracks.
Busch ranks second in the series in average running position over the past 10 All-Star races at 7.3 (Jimmie Johnson ranks No. 1 at 7.0). Busch’s average finish in the race is 12.3. He’s led 212 laps in the event, more than any other active driver over the past 10 All-Star races (Jimmie Johnson is next at 172). But in nine All-Star Race starts, Busch has yet to win, posting a best finish of second in 2011.
Here’s the video: https://amp.twimg.com/v/de388e32-9e8c-43e0-b487-d80af3ebf1c6