Kyle Busch fast in return but hoping Baby Busch takes his time
This just in: Kyle Busch is back and he's still bad fast. And he hopes his wife, Samantha, keeps her ankles crossed for the next 72 hours or so.
Busch was in good spirits Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he returned to the cockpit of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota for the first time since Daytona 500 Happy Hour in February.
If Busch was rusty, it sure didn't show at CMS, where he was the fastest of 17 drivers during Friday's lone round of practice for Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at the fast 1.5-mile track. Busch ran a very fast lap of 188.884 miles per hour.
Busch has been out of commission for 12 weeks after suffering leg and foot fractures in a NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona on Feb. 21. As if getting back in the saddle wasn't enough stress, Busch is about to become a first-time father, with Samantha preparing to soon give birth to a baby boy.
"When I left the house, I told her to make sure she did everything the best she could to keep her legs crossed today and tomorrow," Busch said, probably only half-joking. " ... Keep baby Busch inside for at least 48 more hours."
Asked by FOXSports.com whether impending fatherhood or the return to the cockpit weighed on him more, Busch said he went back and forth.
"I would say it goes within what you're doing," Busch said. "You get to the racetrack and it definitely weighs on you getting back in that car -- how is it going to be? Am I going to screw up? I felt like I got loose one time today and I was like, 'Just don't spin out, just don't spin out.'
"I'm sure when I change and I start heading home, it's like, 'Alright, things are soon to change.' It's legitimate that he's here on Monday, no doubt -- no ifs, ands or buts," Busch said of the couple's first child. "Samantha and I kind of chuckled about that last night. We looked at each other and we're like, 'What are we going to be doing in 72 hours -- at that point? It's going to be time to be parents, he's going to be here.' We're excited, though. We both are and I am. Just hoping that the timing is right."
As far as the racing goes, Busch admitted the thought of another bad crash was something he pondered.
"Certainly, taking another hard hit, that definitely is in the back of your mind," he said. "How hard of a hit can you withstand and not get hurt again? That's obviously there. That's something that we live with each and every day, even before I got hurt -- how hard of a lick can I take and still walk away? And I think we found that out finally. Every man is breakable. There's obviously a risk factor that we take, but you pray to the good Lord that he keeps you safe and you go do your job."
