MIAMI - Standing on the door of his No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota, Kyle Busch took a bow. It was as much for the entire season as for Saturday's second straight Ford 300 victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Busch set a single-season Nationwide Series record with his 13th checkered flag to clinch a third consecutive owners' championship for Joe Gibbs Racing. Friday, Busch won the Camping World Truck Series finale, his eighth win on that circuit, to give his own racing outfit the truck title.
"I feel blessed to have a backup driver like Kyle Busch," joked Brad Coleman, who drove the No. 18 car in the six Nationwide races Busch missed.
Brad Keselowski, who'd clinched the drivers' championship in the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge, finished third for his single-season record-setting 26th top-five effort. He entered the race with a share of that mark along with Busch and Jeff Green.
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Kevin Harvick in the No. 33 Jimmy John's Chevrolet restarted in front of the field after the 11th and final caution with 24 laps to go, but settled for second. He led 17 laps, 136 fewer than Busch. Fourth-place finisher Ricky Stenhouse Jr. clinched the Raybestos Rookie of the Year title with his performance.
Evernham on market
HOMESTEAD, Fla. - Ray Evernham is looking for a job, and he just might reunite with Rick Hendrick.
Evernham is talking to ESPN about continuing his career as a television analyst, but he's also exploring other options in NASCAR. And he plans to meet with Hendrick about a potential return to the organization where he won three championships as Jeff Gordon's crew chief in the 1990s.
Evernham hopes to talk to Hendrick about working on big-picture projects related to Hendrick's worldwide business interests.
"I want to be a project guy - on a project, see results, move on," Evernham said.
