"I thought my racing career was over": When Kyle Busch shared his emotions after the NASCAR crash that put his future in doubt

Kyle Busch faced the frightening possibility of his racing career abruptly ending in 2015 after a crash in the Xfinity Series at Daytona International Speedway. A wreck in the final stretch of the race saw the Joe Gibbs Racing #54 driver suffer a minor fracture in his left foot, a compound fracture in his right leg, and a sprained left finger.

The 2015 Xfinity Series season opener took a tragic turn when Busch made contact with Erik Jones on Lap 121. Both racers lost control of their cars and spun on the track, causing a multi-car wreck. Busch attempted to avoid Jones, but his car slipped infield through the grass, hitting the walls without any SAFER barriers.

Busch realized he couldn't use his legs but managed to use his hands to climb out of the car. Talking about the incident to The Players' Tribune the same year, Kyle Busch recalled what he was going through when the medics arrived

"They laid me out on a stretcher and I looked down and saw my foot going in a direction it definitely shouldn’t go. And I thought, Well, this is it. My racing career is over. As they were stabilizing my legs with the straps, I started thinking about what I was going to do with the rest of my life," he said.

The then 30-year-old was taken to Halifax Medical Center, where he watched the 2015 Daytona 500 with his wife, Samantha Busch. David Ragan replaced him in the #18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Cup Series, whereas Erik Jones would be one to replace him in the #54 car for the Xfinity Series.

"To be sitting there completely helpless in a hospital bed on Daytona Sunday was shocking. My wife and I just started crying as we watched. My doctor said my timetable for recovery was a year. At that moment, I told myself no way. I didn’t have that kind of time," added Busch.

Kyle Busch displayed commendable resilience despite uncertainty over his future in racing. Samantha supported him throughout his rehab while she was in her third trimester of pregnancy. He faced challenges in rehab initially but proved the doctors wrong by returning to his feet in just three months.

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"We did it": When Kyle Busch returned to win his first NASCAR Championship

Kyle Busch (right) poses with the 2015 NASCAR Spring Cup Trophy with his wife Samantha Busch (center right), team owner Joe Gibbs, and his son J.D. Gibbs - Source: Imagn

Kyle Busch became a father later that year in May and found himself rejuvenated as he made his comeback in the Coca-Cola 600. His hard work in rehab paid off and he won his first race that season, three weeks later at Sonoma. Following that, he won three back-to-back races, earning a spot in the Championship 4 for the first time in his Cup Series career.

Busch competed against Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. in the final race at Homestead-Miami. He started the race in the second row ahead of his title contenders and found himself behind Brad Keselowski with seven laps to go.

A caution on Lap 260 helped him reduce the gap and overtake Keselowski. Talking about the race, he recollected:

"As I came off turn four and saw the finish (line), the emotions started to hit me. I had tears in my eyes, and as I crossed the finish line, I just started yelling and screaming. We did it." (via The Players Tribune)

Kyle Busch won his first NASCAR Cup after missing 11 races at the beginning of the season. His journey from the hospital bed to victory lane in 2015 remains one of NASCAR's most inspiring stories.