Busch facing decision on Chase

At stake is how he rebounds from Sunday’s devastating plummet.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch can’t win everywhere, proven by two horrendous races this season at Pocono Raceway.

The Sprint Cup Series points leader ran out of gas Sunday and wound up a frustrating 36th.

As miserable as the final result was, it was still an improvement over his last-place finish there in June.

He bounced back from that accident-ending first visit to Pocono, reeling off three wins in the five races that followed.

Whether he can do it again — or will even try — remains to be seen.

Busch and his Joe Gibbs Racing team have a decision to make over the next five weeks: They can try to reclaim the momentum Busch has used all season while earning a series-best seven Cup wins, or they can start planning and preparing for the Chase for the championship.

But patience is hardly one of Busch’s virtues, and trying to get NASCAR’s resident wild child to rein it in for a monthlong test session could be an impossible challenge.

“I am not so sure he’s capable of backing off,” team owner Joe Gibbs said.

“I think he’s kind of got a mind-set — which I think is the best way to race for a championship — to go after it every week. We wouldn’t want to have him do anything other than try to win every race.”

For all the strides the 23-year-old has made this year in maturity, he’s still a moody driver who is deeply effected by his on-track performance.

“I’m not a happy person when I’m not running well,” he admitted.

And that’s putting it politely.

When Busch is winning — and he’s done so a NASCAR-record 15 times this season spanning the three series — he gains both a swagger in his gait and a mind-set that’s he’s unbeatable.

That’s how crew chief Steve Addington needs his driver when the Chase starts in September.

Quelling his momentum through big-picture planning risks sending Busch into the championship run without the mental edge he’s held over the competition most of the season.

Busch seems to think he can be conservative — once the Chase begins.

But until then, he doesn’t want to stop racing for wins.

And now that he’s in contention for Jeff Gordon’s record of 13 Cup wins in a season, Busch wouldn’t mind making a run at the mark.

That would mean Busch needs to be aggressive the next five races, and maybe even during the Chase.

Wins take a back seat to solid runs during the 10-race title hunt, and Busch insists he understands that.

“You just have to be consistent and stay up there in order to get those finishes,” he said.

But known for making spectacular moves to gain a position or two on the track, he admits he won’t be able to abstain from doing that during the Chase.

“If there’s going to be a way to get through it, then I’m going to do it,” he said.