Kyle Busch capped off his part-time schedule in the Nationwide Series, this year, winning the season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway.
He led 153-laps of the 200-laps race and took a season-record 13 wins. He beat Kevin Harvick by .85 seconds. Brad Keselowski, the series champion, finished third.
"It was a heck of a race there with Harvick toward the end,” said Busch after his 43rd series win.
“Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and the guys prepared a great racecar back in the shop, along with all the chassis guys, the body hangers and the engine group too. That gave us a racecar to come out here and put up front,” he said.
Busch, who ran just 29 of the series’ 35-race schedule, and yield the seat of the No. 18 Toyota to JGR driver Brad Coleman in six races, still finished third in the driver’s points standings.
“We qualified second to Joey (Logano – his teammate) and we were able to prevail and get the job done.”
While Keselowski clinched the driver’s championship, Busch and his Joe Gibbs Racing team clinched the owner’s title.
“It’s a huge deal for us,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “We won our first owner’s championship two years ago. It’s just a testament to all the guys back in the shop.
“Even though we don’t have one driver in every race going for a driver’s championship, the owner’s title gives those guys just a notch for them to say, ‘Hey, we were the best this year. We prepared the cars the best, the motors, every aspect.’
“It was really kind of gratifying to see our team really appreciate it and enjoy it. That probably meant the most – to watch those guys really make a big deal of it. That makes me feel good. It’s a big deal and all those guys are celebrating right now.”
Busch, who also won Friday night’s truck race, is aiming for a second weekend sweep of NASCAR’s three top-tier racing series in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race.
He led 153-laps of the 200-laps race and took a season-record 13 wins. He beat Kevin Harvick by .85 seconds. Brad Keselowski, the series champion, finished third.
"It was a heck of a race there with Harvick toward the end,” said Busch after his 43rd series win.
“Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and the guys prepared a great racecar back in the shop, along with all the chassis guys, the body hangers and the engine group too. That gave us a racecar to come out here and put up front,” he said.
Busch, who ran just 29 of the series’ 35-race schedule, and yield the seat of the No. 18 Toyota to JGR driver Brad Coleman in six races, still finished third in the driver’s points standings.
“We qualified second to Joey (Logano – his teammate) and we were able to prevail and get the job done.”
While Keselowski clinched the driver’s championship, Busch and his Joe Gibbs Racing team clinched the owner’s title.
“It’s a huge deal for us,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “We won our first owner’s championship two years ago. It’s just a testament to all the guys back in the shop.
“Even though we don’t have one driver in every race going for a driver’s championship, the owner’s title gives those guys just a notch for them to say, ‘Hey, we were the best this year. We prepared the cars the best, the motors, every aspect.’
“It was really kind of gratifying to see our team really appreciate it and enjoy it. That probably meant the most – to watch those guys really make a big deal of it. That makes me feel good. It’s a big deal and all those guys are celebrating right now.”
Busch, who also won Friday night’s truck race, is aiming for a second weekend sweep of NASCAR’s three top-tier racing series in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race.