Kyle Busch was in the top-10 late in Sunday’s Ford 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but the driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) had to make a late pit stop and finished a disappointing 23rd.
Busch started 19th in the 267-lap race and was in the top-10 for much of the event despite fighting a car that was tight on the top side of the racetrack and loose on the bottom.
On lap 214, light rain brought out the yellow caution flag and several cars headed to pit road, anticipating the race would resume and complete the full 400-mile distance. Busch, who had pitted just 14 laps prior, stayed out and assumed the lead while he and crew chief Dave Rogers gambled that the rain would continue and the race would be called early, thus giving Busch the victory.
With Busch out of championship contention and without a car capable of battling with the top-two machines, it was a sensible gamble as the Interstate Batteries team had nothing to lose.
Unfortunately, the rain turned out to be brief, the track was dried quickly and, when the race went back to green on lap 230, Busch relinquished the lead to Brad Keselowski and then was passed by Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards, the two drivers competing for the Sprint Cup Series championship.
The race went green the rest of the way and Busch, who managed to stay in the top-10 to that point, was forced to pit just eight laps from the finish for fuel.
That late stop dropped him outside of the top-20.
We had a good car with our Interstate Batteries Camry,” Busch said. “We just didn’t have a car that could run with Tony and Carl. It was a good gamble and it just didn’t go our way. We had nothing to lose.”
Stewart won the Ford 400 to score his fifth win of the season, his third in 13 career Sprint Cup starts at Homestead and enabled him to clinch his third Sprint Cup championship. He and Edwards both ended the season with 2,403 points, but Stewart’s five wins in 2011 compared to Edwards’ one win gave Stewart the tiebreaker advantage.
Stewart won Sprint Cup titles in 2002 and 2005 and, with this year’s crown, he became the first driver-owner to win a Sprint Cup championship since Alan Kulwicki in 1992. In addition, Stewart is the ninth driver to win three or more championships as he joins Richard Petty (seven), Dale Earnhardt (seven), Jimmie Johnson (five), Jeff Gordon (four), David Pearson (three), Darrell Waltrip (three) Cale Yarborough (three) and Lee Petty (three).
Busch’s JGR teammates – Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Toyota, and Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Toyota Camry, finished ninth and 19th, respectively.
Edwards finished 1.306 seconds behind Stewart in the Ford 400, while Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon rounded out the topfive. Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Hamlin and Jeff Burton comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were eight caution periods for 54 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish the 267-lap race.
Hamlin and Busch represented JGR in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. Hamlin finished ninth in points while Busch ended up 12th. Logano finished 24th.
Ryan Newman and Hamlin each finished the season with 2,284 points and one victory, but Hamlin finished second once while Newman did not have a runner-up result. Thus, Hamlin was awarded ninth in the standings while Newman was slotted 10th.
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