“Joe and Samantha have made that decision”: When Kyle Busch revealed his wife and boss’ off-the-table ’plan’ after his brutal wreck

Kyle Busch was fresh off his seven-win sweep in his part-time Xfinity Series schedule and a P10 in the 2014 Cup Series standings. The Nevada native began the 2015 opening weekend with the Xfinity race at the Daytona International Speedway. However, after a brutal accident broke his right leg and shattered his left foot, his then-boss Joe Gibbs, and his wife Samantha made a "decision."

The aftermath was that Busch missed the first 11 races of the 2015 NASCAR Cup Series season as he had metal rod and screws in his right leg and two plates in the left. Even though the JGR driver recovered from what could've potentially risked his career and posted his career-first Cup Series championship, contesting a non-Cup race on superspeedways was off the table.

Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway were the only tracks on NASCAR's roster where the teams were bound to use restrictor plates to limit the engine's output. The major reason was the superspeedway's characteristic, where the cars notch very high speeds as they steer through turns, posing a big catastrophe risk.

After Kyle Busch's horrific incident, Samantha and Joe Gibbs decided that the veteran should avoid superspeedway racing in the Xfinity and Truck Series, as the Cup Series was the prime focus.

Before beginning the 2016 season, Busch expressed that JGR was figuring out his Xfinity schedule and revealed that restrictor plate racing wasn't on his cards. He said via NASCAR.

“No restrictor-plate races, I’m out of that stuff. No more plate races because my wife won’t let me. And (team owner) Joe (Gibbs). Joe and Samantha have made that decision. I was thinking about it but they were like ‘no.'"

Busch said the decision stemmed from the brutal crash at "90g's" and explained the plan.

“That was sort of an (indication) that ‘all right, we don’t need to be doing this anymore.' That was more of a Joe and Samantha request rather than something for me. I’ll race anything; I don’t care. But we’re not … invincible of course, things do happen. That was just a part of the plan.

It's worth mentioning that despite missing 11 races, Busch claimed his first Cup Series title as his five wins helped him attain the feat.

"I feel like I’ll actually be 100 percent by Daytona": Kyle Busch on whether he would race in the 2016 Daytona 500

As Kyle Busch was fielding a part-time Xfinity Series entry, racing on every track wasn't a necessity, and thus, Samantha and Joe's decision. However, to be eligible for the playoffs, a driver has to participate in every points-paying race of the season, and missing them due to fear of a bigger injury does not help, as NASCAR won't grant a waiver.

That being said, Busch was bound to contest at the Daytona International Speedway and the Talladega Superspeedway despite the inherent risk of fatal injuries. During a preseason media availability, the defending Cup Series champion said he has recovered over 85 percent and would be ready to tame his #18 JGR Toyota after a few more therapy sessions.

“I feel like I’m probably about 85, maybe even better than 85 percent right now so I’m pretty close. I definitely feel like a few more therapy sessions that I have lined up before getting to Daytona, I’m going to be fine. I feel like I’ll actually be 100 percent by Daytona," Kyle Busch said via NASCAR.

Kyle Busch's dominant form continued in the 2016 season. Even though he couldn't defend his title against Jimmie Johnson, he missed the championship by just three points.