Gluck: NASCAR should grant Kyle Busch Chase waivers

On Sept. 13, 2013, NASCAR chairman Brian France added Jeff Gordon as the 13th driver in a 12-driver playoff because, he said, it was "the right thing to do."

You know what else is the right thing to do? Making Kyle Busch eligible for this season's Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Yes, Busch has missed all 11 Cup races so far -- nearly half the regular season of 26 events drivers can win to earn a berth. And yes, it's possible he could get into the top 30 in the standings on his own.

But NASCAR should give Busch two waivers: One for the races he missed and one for the top 30 rule. That would make plenty of fans upset, but if the standard is "the right thing to do," then this is it.

After all, it's partly NASCAR's fault Busch was injured. The sanctioning body failed to protect the driver with a basic and obvious safety measure when he hit a concrete wall at about 90 mph on Feb. 21: A SAFER barrier in a potential crash zone at Daytona International Speedway.

As soon as Busch crashed, officials said the injuries should have never occurred and took some responsibility for what happened.

So this is an unusual circumstance, just like Gordon when he was wronged by Michael Waltrip Racing's race-fixing scandal in 2013. I didn't think Gordon should have made the Chase then, but NASCAR put him in and set a precedent.

That means Busch should get a chance to compete for the championship, just like he had before hitting the wall. He'll still have to win a race, which is basically all anyone else has to do in order to be Chase-eligible these days.

Officials occasionally forego their own rules in NASCAR, which prides itself on having the "except in rare instances" phrasing attached to many of its policies.

This is a rare instance. And this is the right thing.

Make Busch eligible for the Chase.

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck

PHOTOS: Kyle Busch through the years