Busch, long dubbed "Rowdy" due in part to his attitude and in part to being another driver's younger, more trouble-making brother, won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, nine months and one day after breaking his right leg and fracturing his left foot the day before the season-opening Daytona 500.
In past seasons, this would've meant Busch was out of contention for a title, but a change in 2014 permitted drivers to earn an exemption and remain eligible if they missed races for medical issues.
A lucky change for Busch, who missed 11 races to start the 36-race season. He finally made his first start in mid-May, just two days before his first child was born. Six weeks later, he won his first race of 2015. He went on to win three of the following four races and, with one race to spare before the Chase ("playoff") cutoff, locked himself into the Top 30 drivers. By way of his four wins in the 15 races he drove, and three other top-three finishes, Busch earned enough points to finish 25th and advance to the next round.
While many people disregard NASCAR as a sport, the drivers have to have a finely tuned mental game, just as a tennis player or a weightlifter. Each sport isn't solely about one race, one point or one lift. Because if any of these athletes allow just ONE instance to define their careers, most would never achieve any success. One meet, one injury, one roadblock will not be enough to derail those determined to be great.
See, Busch never gave up. He knew there was a tough road ahead -- missing nearly a third of the season, and 11 of the 26 pre-Chase races, but once healed, he kept his foot on the pedal, pun intended. During his rehabilitation period, when a "typical" athlete would be doing mobility or accessory work to prevent another injury, Busch was in constant communication with his crew chief. Other drivers he trusted were racing his car each week and he kept an ear and eye on how the car and crew were responding. When he returned, his crew knew he was still bought in and they were 100 percent behind him.
Between his wife and new baby at home, and the lack of room for error on the track, Busch was focused and fought through difficult weeks. By winning the Homestead race Sunday to capture the title, he had five victories, multiple top-five and top-10 finishes and drove the hell out of his Toyota on the track. He brought everything he had to his shortened 2015 season and showed fans and haters alike that he belonged in the winner's circle, doing more in 25 races than most champions do in a full season.
As quickly as the season could've ended for Kyle Busch, it instead became a story NASCAR fans should be telling for years. Busch's championship win showed athletes and fans everywhere that, no matter the cards you are dealt, you are in full control on your own destiny.
Choose success.
