Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), is hoping a summer heat wave will be his best friend starting with Saturday's night's Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
While various issues kept him out of victory lane during the month of June, Busch and the Interstate Batteries team got back on track last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon by posting a seventh-place result, which might have been even better if rain hadn't cut the race 28 laps short of its scheduled 301-lap distance.
Even better news for the Las Vegas native is a return trip to Daytona this weekend, where he happens to be the defending Coke Zero 400 winner after his first point-paying win at the historic 2.5-mile oval last July. Busch is also the defending champion at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., where the Sprint Cup schedule moves to following Daytona.
In his last visit to Daytona in February, the talented 24-year-old dominated the first 123 laps of the season-opening 51st Daytona 500, leading twice for a race-high 88 laps before getting caught up in a heartbreaking accident started by two cars that were a lap down, ending Busch's once-promising day early.
While the finish was disappointing, Busch, crew chief Steve Addington, and the entire No. 18 team know they have the right stuff at the restrictor-plate tracks to repeat last year's feat in the Coke Zero 400. And with a host of tracks coming up where they have the potential to head to victory lane and improve on their current eighth position in the championship point standings, it's no wonder why Busch and Co. are confident things are looking up.
Last season, Busch's summer heat wave came early as seven of his eight race wins on the season occurred before the end of July. But this year, they'll hope to begin their hot streak during the actual heat of summer and make a run over the next nine races to not only make the Chase for the Sprint Cup, but also put the team in position to be a contender when the champion is crowned in November.
