Can Kyle Busch pull a rabbit out of his hat?

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 | 8:29 p.m.

There were a lot of headlines from last Sunday to consider for cartoon ideas. Greg Biffle’s resurgence, Dale Jr.’s slide in the standings and the question of whether or not the Chase is truly a success were issues that came to mind as I sat down in front of a blank piece of paper. The current state of the Chase is definitely something I will explore in a future cartoon. But, once again, Kyle Busch was the dominant story from the weekend. Above is a sketch of an idea that didn’t make the cut.

“We’re out of the title hunt, that’s for sure,” Busch said after last week’s race at Dover. Come on, Kyle, where’s that win-at-all-cost attitude we’ve seen from you this season when you’re behind the wheel? J.D. Gibbs, the president of Joe Gibbs Racing, sees things a little differently. “We’re not giving up on having a final chance in that last race,” he said. Busch currently trails the points leader by 210 points.

Nevertheless, it’s still possible for Kyle to accept that big check in New York at the end of the season. Earlier this year Kyle trailed points leader Jeff Burton by 80 points going into the race at Talladega. Five races later, Busch had three wins and was in the points lead by a 142 points margin. His total swing in points was 222.

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