Many NASCAR champions were welcomed into victory lane at Chicagoland Speedway but none more than Kyle Busch, whose last Cup Series win at the track summed up his place as a legend of the sport.
JOLIET, Illinois — The confines of victory lane at Chicagoland Speedway welcomed many NASCAR champions in its 19 seasons on the schedule – but none more than Kyle Busch.
Kyle Busch won 11 times in NASCAR's national series – twice in the NASCAR Cup Series, four times in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and five times in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
None of those wins summed Kyle Busch up better than his last win at the track.
How the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Chicagoland Speedway Summed Up Busch's Legacy
Like any great NASCAR driver, Busch had to use the grace of God and his talent to be able to get a good finish and that was no truer than in the 2018 Overton's 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
"Plowing, plowing, plowing, plowing, plowing, plowing, plowing," Busch said on lap 103 when he ran 12th and was asked about his car was handling.
The booth pointed out Busch's duality -- the fierce competitor who gave soundbites like that and the fan-friendly driver who would quietly sign autographs for unsuspecting fans.
Busch started 16th and failed to earn any bonus points in the first two stages, encompassing the first 160 of 267 laps of the race.
However, by lap 181, a great pit stop put him in fourth, allowing him to use changing weather conditions to take second nine laps later on lap 190.
By lap 209, another great pit stop put Busch in the lead. On the ensuing restart with 55 laps to go, he pulled out to a sizeable lead over Kyle Larson.
Larson didn't lay over, nor did lap traffic. Busch dropped all the way back to Larson, who set up one of the most iconic laps of not only the 2018 season but all of the 2010s.
"SLIDE JOB," Dale Earnhardt Jr. exclaimed in the TV booth as Larson dove under Busch. Larson couldn't clear Busch, instead tapping his quarter panel and getting him sideways. Busch repaid him in turn three, setting off a wild drift for Larson who down-shifted on exit with enough momentum to cross the start-finish line in second to Busch.
As if it couldn't get any more iconic, real recognized real.
"If you don't like that kind of racing, don't even watch," Busch said straight to the camera after making a crying face to imitate detractors he targeted with his comments.
Busch left the race with the points lead and as the perfect star to solidify the icon status of the race and the finish.
"I love racing Kyle [Busch], I know all you fans are mad at him. But we put on a ---- of a show," Larson said. "That's gotta be one of the best NASCAR finishes of all-time. I know I'm on the short end of the stick but that was fun."
The Heel is Gone But He's Not Forgotten
Busch was NASCAR's ultimate heel in a way not seen since the likes of Jr.'s father or Tony Stewart. No matter if he won or not, deep down he could recognize what was good for the sport – even if he wasn't happy with his own outcome.
Just over a month after his death, NASCAR has continued on and produced great races since his death. However, there's a big piece missing when you're at the track, especially with the momentum he had coming into the summer.
With his record at the tracks, would Busch have done well at Michigan, San Diego and Sonoma? Could he have made the Chase?
The media center has lacked that Kyle time you could usually get every couple of weeks or multiple weeks in a row, especially if there was something topical.
What would Busch have said about running a race on a naval base? How would NASCAR have incorporated him into the fanfare of the weekend? What kind of a buzz would he have generated with people who don't know modern NASCAR as well but know him?
Busch's death showed the transcendent power he had as a NASCAR driver but it was none more evidenced than at Chicagoland Speedway.
