How aggressive should Kyle Busch be in plans to return?
Back in the day, I actually went through the same thing that crew chief Adam Stevens has had to deal with since his driver, Kyle Busch, was injured in the XFINITY Series race in Daytona and unable to start the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
It was a Friday in 1990 and Darrell Waltrip was badly injured in our No. 17 Tide car the day before the July Daytona race. Similar to Kyle's situation, we knew that DW was badly hurt, but really didn't know when he was going to be able to return.
Fortunately for us, we had access to Jimmy Horton who was not only a great Dirt Modified racer but who had also won races at both Daytona and Talladega in the ARCA series. Luckily, he was about Darrell's size, so with virtually no notice and practice, he got behind the wheel of our car and brought it home 17th.
What we went through back then would be impossible today. Obviously, the points were different, but even when Darrell decided to get back behind the wheel, we had to make a number of modifications to the car so that he could attempt to drive it.
In Kyle's situation, the one thing that is exactly the same, just like it was back then, is Joe Gibbs Racing looked for best available driver for the No. 18 car. For Daytona they opted to go with two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton, who finished 18th. Sunday, David Ragan took over the No. 18 and brought it home 18th.
We also had to manage our wishes with reality. We obviously wanted Darrell back behind the wheel as soon as possible, but the reality is we were better served to wait until he was fully healthy. That is the same thing that Kyle and the folks at Joe Gibbs Racing are going through today. He's already missed two races, so they need to focus on making sure that when Kyle is ready to come back he can give 100 percent.
The team is hurting enough by not having Kyle behind the wheel, but it accomplishes nothing by putting Kyle back in the car too early. Why take the risk of reinjuring him just to get him back on the track? You have to balance the risk/reward, and the risk is much greater if they don't wait until Kyle is 100 percent.
I've watched too many drivers -- yes, including Darrell Waltrip -- try and come back too soon to prove a point of how tough they are. It's just another case where sometimes the driver has to be protected from themselves.
I don't want to see Kyle Busch back behind the wheel of the No. 18 until he's ready to go out for that first race and have a shot to win it. Doing anything less than that is a disservice and a risk to not only Kyle, but his team, his sponsors and the fans.
