Kurt Busch has made plenty of headlines this year for all the wrong reasons.
But after missing the first three races of the season under a NASCAR suspension for suspected domestic violence, Busch has driven like a man possessed since his reinstatement — more like the driver who won the 2004 NASCAR Cup championship than the driver who had won just one race since the end of 2011.
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Busch finally had his coming out party Sunday, dominating the field at Richmond International Raceway to win the Toyota Owners 400.
Originally slated for Saturday night, the race had been postponed until Sunday afternoon. That did not seem to matter to Busch. With apologies to pole-sitter Joey Logano, who led 94 laps and had a strong car throughout, Sunday at RIR was all about Busch. Crew chief Tony Gibson and Busch hit on a great setup that allowed the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet to lead 281 of the 400 laps. Really, the outcome never seemed in doubt.
Afterward, Busch alluded to his suspension, and the fact that he did not want to let that sidetrack the team this season.
“It’s an incredible feeling. It’s a total team effort,” Busch told FOX Sports. “The way everything came together, it just seemed like we were building and building and building toward a great finish like this. I have this opportunity because of (team co-owner) Gene Haas and everybody that is part of our family at Stewart-Haas.
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"It’s an unbelievable feeling, when you pull deep from within and go through troubles. When you’re accused of something and things go sideways, your personal life doesn’t need to affect your business life — and I’m here in victory lane.”
It’s Busch’s first Sprint Cup victory since March 2014 at Martinsville and the 26th win of his career. Even more importantly, the 36-year-old veteran has virtually assured himself a slot in NASCAR’s Chase, the season-ending series of 10 races to determine the Sprint Cup champion.
Coming to the finish, several drivers battled for position behind Busch. His Stewart-Haas teammate Kevin Harvick finished second, his seventh finish of first or second in the first nine races of 2015. Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray and Logano rounded out the top five.