Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Earns Additional Hardware at Awards Show
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 14, 2016) – The 24th annual ESPY Awards got a little “rowdy” as reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch was named Best Driver at last night’s ceremony. He received the most votes among fellow nominees 2015 IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon, 2015 Formula One World Driver’s Champion Lewis Hamilton, 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi, and 2015 NHRA Pro Stock Champion Erica Enders-Stevens.
NASCAR drivers have been victorious in the Best Driver category eight of the last ten years, with Busch joining fellow competitors Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson on the elite list of winners.
The world of sports witnessed an incredible comeback last season by Busch, who suffered a compound fracture in his right leg and a broken left foot at the season-opening NASCAR XFINITY Series race in Daytona. After missing 11 races due to his injuries, Busch returned to win four out of five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events over the course of the summer, effectively clinching his spot in the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
His superior performance continued throughout the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, including three top-five finishes in the Round of 8 that ultimately led him to the championship. Busch went on to capture the checkered flag in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, taking home his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title and solidifying his position as one of the greatest comeback stories in sports.
Busch is a formidable contender in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series again this season with the most top five finishes of any driver and three wins thus far.
Tune into NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Sunday, July 17 at 1:30 p.m. ET for the New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with addition coverage on NASCAR.com.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, NASCAR XFINITY Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association® (IMSA®) governs the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit http://www.NASCAR.com and http://www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR at www.Facebook.com/NASCAR and Twitter: @NASCAR.
