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Kyle Busch wins Brickyard 400, his 4th win in 5 races
INDIANAPOLIS – Even if he doesn't make the Chase, Kyle Busch's streak is one of the most impressive accomplishments in recent NASCAR memory.
The driver of the No. 18 scored his fourth win in five races in Sunday's Brickyard 400, holding off Joey Logano on a green-white-checker restart.
The four wins put Busch in a tie with Jimmie Johnson for the series lead in wins. However, Busch has run 11 fewer races than Johnson. He missed those races after breaking a leg and foot in an accident in the season-opening Xfinity Series race at Daytona.
The injury is why he's still not a lock for the Chase, though he's on pace to make it into NASCAR's postseason. Drivers must be in the top 30 of points to make the Chase and Busch is now 23 points out with six races to go before the Chase. He made up 35 points on 30th place on Sunday.
"Oh my gosh. I just can't believe this run right now," Busch said. "I can't believe what's going on ... It's really a treat to win at Indy."
Busch took the lead for the final time with eight laps to go. He was second to race leader Kevin Harvick on a restart and capitalized by hanging with Harvick into turn 1 and clearing him off turn two. Logano then passed Harvick on the next-to-last restart to set up the final challenge against Busch.
His win Sunday was also Toyota's first win at Indianapolis and the first time a non-Chevrolet driver has won at the track since Bill Elliott won in a Dodge in 2002.
Before winning at Indy, Busch won at Sonoma, Kentucky and New Hampshire. The only non-win in the stretch came at Daytona, where he recovered from hitting the wall to finish 17th.
It's natural to wonder where the last five races rank among similar streaks in NASCAR. If we're forced to rank the last five races right now, it's a five-race span that's behind Jimmie Johnson's four straight wins to seal the Chase title in 2007.
It doesn't rank with stretches like Jeff Gordon's seven wins in nine races in 1998 or Tony Stewart's five Chase wins in 2011. But let's be clear; any historical context of the ongoing run isn't official until it's over and we know if Busch makes the Chase. Currently slotting this run of Busch's behind any of those periods isn't a diss at all.
And to validate it, Busch needs to make the Chase. It's the harsh reality of NASCAR's current playoff format. If he misses the Chase, this summer swing will become overshadowed by the title drama NASCAR creates with the Chase's elimination format. And would also prove the routine boasts that "winning is everything" in NASCAR officially incorrect.
If he does make it, well, the focus will shift to Busch's performance in the Chase; an area where he's struggled. But the specter of what got him to the playoffs – considered an improbable achievement in May – will loom. And loom exceptionally large if he wins his first Sprint Cup title.
Though with five races to go before the Chase begins, Busch could have six or seven wins before the first race at Chicago. Would you be surprised if that happens? We sure wouldn't.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
