HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Kyle Busch captured his second Cup championship Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, triumphing as his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates stumbled in the season finale.
The No. 18 Toyota driver ended a 21-race winless drought dating to June, scoring his fifth victory of the season.
Busch took the lead on a Lap 170 restart from teammate Denny Hamlin and commanded the final 97 laps as the race stayed green.
“We have a great race team and a great owner and the best sponsor in sports,” Busch told NBC. “Thank you to everyone for this opportunity. I may be the one who hoists the trophy or to have a championship, but it wouldn’t be possible without (crew chief) Adam Stevens, (owner) coach Joe Gibbs, J.D. Gibbs, Coy Gibbs, the whole family. … This (Toyota Racing Development) engine was awesome tonight. It’s been awesome all year, we had one issue. It’s so much fun to work with these guys and this group. Everybody that puts it all together for me. There’s alway your doubters, there’s always your haters. But you know what? This one’s for Rowdy Nation, ’cause you guys are the best.”
Click here for final 2019 season standings
As for the other Championship 4 drivers, Martin Truex Jr. finished second, while Kevin Harvick was fourth, and Hamlin wound up 10th. Joe Gibbs Racing actually placed all four of its drivers in the top 10, as teammate Erik Jones finished third to make it a 1-2-3 JGR finish.
Hamlin encountered major trouble after his team applied too much tape to the front grille of the No. 11 Toyota on a Lap 209 pit stop under green. He was forced to pit again, dooming his title bid.
Truex controlled Stage 1, moving into first after Harvick led the first 20 laps.
Truex led 59 of the next 60 laps, often building a lead of more than seven seconds. By the end of the stage, 27 of the 40 cars had fallen a lap down because of the No. 19 Toyota’s blistering speed.
Truex led 39 of the next 40 laps to start Stage 2 before disaster struck. During a Lap 120 pit stop under green, his crew mixed up the left- and right-side front tires. That necessitated another stop under green for Truex, who re-emerged a lap down in 13th.
He got back on the lead lap when the caution flew for a spin by John Hunter Nemechek on Lap 137.
After restarting in 13th, Truex zoomed back into the top five within 10 laps. When the second stage ended, Truex was in fourth behind Busch, Harvick and Kyle Larson and just ahead of Hamlin.
Truex and Hamlin each picked up a spot during pit stops under the stage-ending yellow, and the Championship 4 restarted as the top four with 101 laps remaining.
Stage 1 winner: Martin Truex Jr.
Stage 2 winner: Kyle Busch
Who else had a good race: The win by Kyle Busch was the 19th of the season for JGR, setting a new modern day (since 1972) record for most Cup wins by an organization in a single season, breaking Hendrick Motorsports’ old mark of 18 set in 2007. … Last year’s champion, Joey Logano, who fell short of reaching Homestead last week in the race at Phoenix, finished fifth.
Who had a bad race: Kyle Larson was running in the top five but suffered engine issues on Lap 209 that forced him out of the race and relegated him to a last-place finish in the 40-car field.
Notable: Here’s how drivers who made their final appearances with their current teams – or their final full-time race in the Cup Series – fared: Daniel Hemric (12th), Daniel Suarez (14th), Chris Buescher (16th), Paul Menard (17th), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (19th), Matt DiBenedetto (20th) and David Ragan (27th). … Hemric wrapped up the season by winning NASCAR Cup Rookie of the Year honors.
What’s next: The 2020 NASCAR Cup season opens at Daytona International Speedway on February 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
