From Jeff Gluck at USA TODAY Sports
HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Here's what you need to know from the Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday night:
CHAMPION AND RACE WINNER: Charlie Brown finally got to kick the football. Kyle Busch, in his 11th full season, won his first career NASCAR championship on Sunday night -- and in the most unlikely of years. This time, there was no piano to drop out of the sky and ruin his playoff in an odd way. No, Busch had to overcome his greatest obstacles early in the year. Busch broke his right leg and left foot in a horrifying crash the day before the Daytona 500 - nine months ago - then missed 11 races as he learned to walk again. He returned in May, won four races and got himself in the top 30 to qualify for the Chase, then survived each round until finishing ahead of Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr. to win the title.
"This championship is for my wife, my family, everyone who sacrificed so much this year to get me here," said Busch. "(Crew chief) Adam Stevens is my hero."
Busch passed Brad Keselowski with seven laps to go on the final restart and held off a charging Harvick in the closing laps. Harvick, the reigning champion who was trying to go back-to-back for the first time since Jimmie Johnson, finished second; Gordon was sixth in his final Cup race; Truex Jr. was 12th.
"We were definitely a little bit off tonight, and we never really found anything that really helped the car," Harvick said. "I thought at the end, we might do better than that. The 18 car just had us beat all night. I just couldn't find anywhere that would make the car better. ...
"To come back from everything's that he's come back from - that's a great comeback story from where he was after Daytona."
Busch joins brother Kurt as champion. Kurt Busch won his title in 2004. Kyle Busch gave team owner Joe Gibbs his fourth NASCAR title, one more than the number of Super Bowls he won.
GORDON: In his final Cup race, Gordon never really got going. He didn't have the speed or handling to keep up with Busch and Harvick and finished sixth. Gordon made his way to Busch, embraced him and congratulated him.
TV CONTROVERSY: NBC made the decision to stick with the race instead of going to its NFL pre-game broadcast at 7 p.m. ET, igniting Twitter with angry NFL fans and thrilled NASCAR fans. NBC Sports Network, which usually would pick up broadcasts that run over, is not available in as many homes.
MULTI-CAR CRASH: With 222 laps to go, Clint Bowyer appeared to get loose and triggered a multi-car crash on the backstretch. Bowyer turned right into Dale Earnhardt Jr., who suffered significant damage along with Aric Almirola, David Ragan and Casey Mears. “Just disappointing,” Bowyer said.
OIL ON THE TRACK: Just a dozen laps into the race, Denny Hamlin’s car suddenly shot out flames and oil, but NASCAR did not initially call a caution. Drivers frantically reported oil on the track and Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski and Sam Hornish Jr. all hit the wall before a caution was called. Hamlin went to the garage to investigate the issue.
STAR POWER: The grand marshal and national anthem singer are often the biggest stars at the track – but not when it’s Gordon’s final race (sorry, Hoda Kotb and Zach Levi). Gordon was accompanied by racing luminaries Mario Andretti and Lewis Hamilton, who was attending his first NASCAR race.
WEATHER: A line of storms rolled through roughly one hour before the start of the race, which delayed the green flag by about 90 minutes. The race finally began at 4:50 p.m. Eastern.
Ford EcoBoost 400
Sunday's results from the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway (start position in parentheses):
1. (3) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 267 laps, 43 points.
2. (13) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 267, 42.
3. (8) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267, 43.
4. (2) Joey Logano, Ford, 267, 41.
5. (23) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 267, 40.
6. (5) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 267, 38.
7. (19) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 267, 37.
8. (15) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 267, 36.
9. (12) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267, 35.
10. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267, 34.
11. (7) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 267, 34.
12. (11) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 267, 32.
13. (22) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 267, 31.
14. (10) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 267, 30.
15. (21) Greg Biffle, Ford, 267, 29.
16. (4) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 267, 28.
17. (6) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 267, 0.
18. (26) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 267, 26.
19. (18) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 267, 25.
20. (20) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 266, 24.
21. (17) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 266, 23.
22. (16) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 266, 22.
23. (25) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 266, 0.
24. (35) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 266, 20.
25. (28) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 266, 19.
26. (33) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 265, 18.
27. (38) David Ragan, Toyota, 265, 17.
28. (40) Cole Whitt, Ford, 265, 16.
29. (36) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 265, 15.
30. (39) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 264, 14.
31. (42) Brett Moffitt, Ford, 264, 13.
32. (41) David Gilliland, Ford, 264, 12.
33. (29) Michael McDowell, Ford, 264, 11.
34. (31) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 264, 0.
35. (34) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 263, 0.
36. (30) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 263, 8.
37. (37) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 263, 7.
38. (43) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, 262, 6.
39. (32) Josh Wise, Ford, 247, 5.
40. (9) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 241, 4.
41. (14) Aric Almirola, Ford, 209, 3.
42. (27) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 104, 2.
43. (24) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 45, 1.
———
Race Statistics
Average Speed of Race Winner: 131.755 MPH.
Time of Race: 3 hours, 2 minutes, 23 seconds.
Margin of Victory: 1.552 seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 30 laps.
Lead Changes: 18 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J.Logano 1-19; Ky.Busch 20-35; J.Gordon 36-44; K.Harvick 45-90; K.Larson 91-92; J.Logano 93-138; Ky.Busch 139; C.Edwards 140-144; J.Logano 145-151; C.Edwards 152-154; Ky.Busch 155-168; M.Truex Jr. 169-171; B.Keselowski 172-214; Ky.Busch 215-216; B.Keselowski 217-257; Ky.Busch 258; B.Keselowski 259-260; Ky.Busch 261-267.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): B.Keselowski, 3 times for 86 laps; J.Logano, 3 times for 72 laps; K.Harvick, 1 time for 46 laps; Ky.Busch, 6 times for 41 laps; J.Gordon, 1 time for 9 laps; C.Edwards, 2 times for 8 laps; M.Truex Jr., 1 time for 3 laps; K.Larson, 1 time for 2 laps.
Wins: J.Logano, 6; Ky.Busch, 5; J.Johnson, 5; M.Kenseth, 5; D.Earnhardt Jr., 3; K.Harvick, 3; Ku.Busch, 2; C.Edwards, 2; D.Hamlin, 2; J.Gordon, 1; B.Keselowski, 1; M.Truex Jr., 1.
Final top 16 in Points: 1. Ky.Busch, 5,043; 2. K.Harvick, 5,042; 3. J.Gordon, 5,038; 4. M.Truex Jr., 5,032; 5. C.Edwards, 2,368; 6. J.Logano, 2,360; 7. B.Keselowski, 2,347; 8. Ku.Busch, 2,333; 9. D.Hamlin, 2,327; 10. J.Johnson, 2,315; 11. R.Newman, 2,314; 12. D.Earnhardt Jr., 2,310; 13. J.McMurray, 2,295; 14. P.Menard, 2,262; 15. M.Kenseth, 2,234; 16. C.Bowyer, 2,175.
 | ||
| Kyle Busch celebrates in after winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 and his first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. (PHOTO: Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports) |
CHAMPION AND RACE WINNER: Charlie Brown finally got to kick the football. Kyle Busch, in his 11th full season, won his first career NASCAR championship on Sunday night -- and in the most unlikely of years. This time, there was no piano to drop out of the sky and ruin his playoff in an odd way. No, Busch had to overcome his greatest obstacles early in the year. Busch broke his right leg and left foot in a horrifying crash the day before the Daytona 500 - nine months ago - then missed 11 races as he learned to walk again. He returned in May, won four races and got himself in the top 30 to qualify for the Chase, then survived each round until finishing ahead of Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr. to win the title.
"This championship is for my wife, my family, everyone who sacrificed so much this year to get me here," said Busch. "(Crew chief) Adam Stevens is my hero."
Busch passed Brad Keselowski with seven laps to go on the final restart and held off a charging Harvick in the closing laps. Harvick, the reigning champion who was trying to go back-to-back for the first time since Jimmie Johnson, finished second; Gordon was sixth in his final Cup race; Truex Jr. was 12th.
"We were definitely a little bit off tonight, and we never really found anything that really helped the car," Harvick said. "I thought at the end, we might do better than that. The 18 car just had us beat all night. I just couldn't find anywhere that would make the car better. ...
"To come back from everything's that he's come back from - that's a great comeback story from where he was after Daytona."
Busch joins brother Kurt as champion. Kurt Busch won his title in 2004. Kyle Busch gave team owner Joe Gibbs his fourth NASCAR title, one more than the number of Super Bowls he won.
GORDON: In his final Cup race, Gordon never really got going. He didn't have the speed or handling to keep up with Busch and Harvick and finished sixth. Gordon made his way to Busch, embraced him and congratulated him.
TV CONTROVERSY: NBC made the decision to stick with the race instead of going to its NFL pre-game broadcast at 7 p.m. ET, igniting Twitter with angry NFL fans and thrilled NASCAR fans. NBC Sports Network, which usually would pick up broadcasts that run over, is not available in as many homes.
MULTI-CAR CRASH: With 222 laps to go, Clint Bowyer appeared to get loose and triggered a multi-car crash on the backstretch. Bowyer turned right into Dale Earnhardt Jr., who suffered significant damage along with Aric Almirola, David Ragan and Casey Mears. “Just disappointing,” Bowyer said.
OIL ON THE TRACK: Just a dozen laps into the race, Denny Hamlin’s car suddenly shot out flames and oil, but NASCAR did not initially call a caution. Drivers frantically reported oil on the track and Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski and Sam Hornish Jr. all hit the wall before a caution was called. Hamlin went to the garage to investigate the issue.
STAR POWER: The grand marshal and national anthem singer are often the biggest stars at the track – but not when it’s Gordon’s final race (sorry, Hoda Kotb and Zach Levi). Gordon was accompanied by racing luminaries Mario Andretti and Lewis Hamilton, who was attending his first NASCAR race.
WEATHER: A line of storms rolled through roughly one hour before the start of the race, which delayed the green flag by about 90 minutes. The race finally began at 4:50 p.m. Eastern.
Ford EcoBoost 400
Sunday's results from the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway (start position in parentheses):
1. (3) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 267 laps, 43 points.
2. (13) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 267, 42.
3. (8) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267, 43.
4. (2) Joey Logano, Ford, 267, 41.
5. (23) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 267, 40.
6. (5) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 267, 38.
7. (19) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 267, 37.
8. (15) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 267, 36.
9. (12) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267, 35.
10. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267, 34.
11. (7) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 267, 34.
12. (11) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 267, 32.
13. (22) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 267, 31.
14. (10) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 267, 30.
15. (21) Greg Biffle, Ford, 267, 29.
16. (4) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 267, 28.
17. (6) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 267, 0.
18. (26) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 267, 26.
19. (18) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 267, 25.
20. (20) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 266, 24.
21. (17) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 266, 23.
22. (16) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 266, 22.
23. (25) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 266, 0.
24. (35) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 266, 20.
25. (28) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 266, 19.
26. (33) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 265, 18.
27. (38) David Ragan, Toyota, 265, 17.
28. (40) Cole Whitt, Ford, 265, 16.
29. (36) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 265, 15.
30. (39) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 264, 14.
31. (42) Brett Moffitt, Ford, 264, 13.
32. (41) David Gilliland, Ford, 264, 12.
33. (29) Michael McDowell, Ford, 264, 11.
34. (31) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 264, 0.
35. (34) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 263, 0.
36. (30) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 263, 8.
37. (37) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 263, 7.
38. (43) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, 262, 6.
39. (32) Josh Wise, Ford, 247, 5.
40. (9) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 241, 4.
41. (14) Aric Almirola, Ford, 209, 3.
42. (27) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 104, 2.
43. (24) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 45, 1.
———
Race Statistics
Average Speed of Race Winner: 131.755 MPH.
Time of Race: 3 hours, 2 minutes, 23 seconds.
Margin of Victory: 1.552 seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 30 laps.
Lead Changes: 18 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J.Logano 1-19; Ky.Busch 20-35; J.Gordon 36-44; K.Harvick 45-90; K.Larson 91-92; J.Logano 93-138; Ky.Busch 139; C.Edwards 140-144; J.Logano 145-151; C.Edwards 152-154; Ky.Busch 155-168; M.Truex Jr. 169-171; B.Keselowski 172-214; Ky.Busch 215-216; B.Keselowski 217-257; Ky.Busch 258; B.Keselowski 259-260; Ky.Busch 261-267.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): B.Keselowski, 3 times for 86 laps; J.Logano, 3 times for 72 laps; K.Harvick, 1 time for 46 laps; Ky.Busch, 6 times for 41 laps; J.Gordon, 1 time for 9 laps; C.Edwards, 2 times for 8 laps; M.Truex Jr., 1 time for 3 laps; K.Larson, 1 time for 2 laps.
Wins: J.Logano, 6; Ky.Busch, 5; J.Johnson, 5; M.Kenseth, 5; D.Earnhardt Jr., 3; K.Harvick, 3; Ku.Busch, 2; C.Edwards, 2; D.Hamlin, 2; J.Gordon, 1; B.Keselowski, 1; M.Truex Jr., 1.
Final top 16 in Points: 1. Ky.Busch, 5,043; 2. K.Harvick, 5,042; 3. J.Gordon, 5,038; 4. M.Truex Jr., 5,032; 5. C.Edwards, 2,368; 6. J.Logano, 2,360; 7. B.Keselowski, 2,347; 8. Ku.Busch, 2,333; 9. D.Hamlin, 2,327; 10. J.Johnson, 2,315; 11. R.Newman, 2,314; 12. D.Earnhardt Jr., 2,310; 13. J.McMurray, 2,295; 14. P.Menard, 2,262; 15. M.Kenseth, 2,234; 16. C.Bowyer, 2,175.
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