Kyle Busch Wins Race and NASCAR Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway [VIDEO, PHOTOS]

Kyle Busch capped off an impossible NASCAR Sprint Cup season by winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 and the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship in the process.

The day began belonging to Jeff Gordon at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Media was focused on the four-time future hall of fame NASCAR driver as he prepared for his final race in the iconic #24 Chevrolet. The final race of the 2015 Sprint Cup season would also be Jeff’s final race as a full-time Sprint Cup driver. He was also one of the four drivers with the chance to win the championship.

However, after the green flag was waived to start the Ford EcoBoost 400 focus was aimed at the race and Jeff, Kyle, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. as the Championship Four for the NASCAR’s playoffs. Whichever driver crossed the finish line first would become the champion.

The race was delayed by around 1-hour and 20 minutes due to rain at Homestead-Miami Speedway. That meant not only the four championship contenders but also the other 39 drivers had to contend with a green track washed clean of rubber by the rain.

Drivers and crew chiefs were figuring out how their cars would run on the green track and trying to plan the adjustments that would be needed as the track changed by taking rubber and the onset of the night.

Early on Jeff looked as though he might be a serious threat to capture his fifth championship. However, as the track conditions changed the #24 Chevrolet began to lose it’s handling. The same was true for Martin Truex Jr. in the #78 Chevrolet.

Kevin Harvick looked as though he would be the contender to beat as he tried to defend his 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. Among the four championship contenders Kevin led the most laps with 46 circuits around Homestead-Miami Speedway as the leader.

As it turned out, Kevin was the car to “beat” to win the championship.

On the re-start after the race’s seventh and final caution period, Kyle Busch took the lead of the race with seven laps remaining in the 267 lap race. Kyle held that lead to win in front of Kevin in second place. Brad Keselowski (who led a race high 86 laps) finished in third place. Joey Logano grabbed the fourth place finish in the race with Kyle Larson finishing in fifth place. Championship contenders Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr. finished in sixth place and 12th place respectively. See the complete race results for the Ford EcoBoost 400 here.

The win gives Kyle Busch his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship as he finishes as the leader in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings as well. Kevin Harvick ends the year in second place with Jeff Gordon in third and Martin Truex Jr. scoring his best ever final position in the points at number four. Carl Edwards rounds out the top five in the point standings. See complete final 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings here.

Many would say it is an unlikely end to the season for Kyle as he missed the first eleven races of the season after he broke his leg and foot at Daytona in the first Xfinity race of the year. Not only was Kyle able to come back more quickly than anybody thought he could, he came back and immediately showed he would be a championship contender by winning at Sonoma in just his fifth race back.

Two weeks later he won again at Kentucky Speedway and racked up a three-race win streak by winning at New Hampshire and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis in the next two races.

Kyle only won one more race in the 2015 season, but it was the one that matters the most. Yesterday’s win not only gave him his fifth win of the year but also made him the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. Congratulations to Kyle Busch on a great year!

By: Buck Stevens