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Kyle Busch Wins 2019 Monster Energy Cup with Victory at NASCAR at Miami

Joseph Zucker

Kyle Busch earned his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship with a victory Sunday in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.

Busch led 120 of the 267 laps and edged out fellow playoff challenger Martin Truex Jr. for the title. Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin—the two other championship four drivers—placed fourth and 10th, respectively.

Ford EcoBoost 400

1. Kyle Busch

2. Martin Truex Jr.

3. Erik Jones

4. Kevin Harvick

5. Joey Logano

6. Clint Bowyer

7. Ryan Newman

8. Austin Dillon

9. Alex Bowman

10. Denny Hamlin

Busch cruised to the finish line a little over four seconds ahead of Truex.

He savored his post-race celebration, which included taking his son around for a victory lap.

Racing fans couldn't have asked for much more as Busch, Harvick, Truex and Hamlin occupied the top four spots heading into the final stage.

Truex was the Stage 1 winner and led 103 laps on the day. Midway through Stage 2, however, Truex's pit crew committed a serious mistake. The team placed each of his front tires on the wrong side, which required a costly return to pit road.

The No. 19 car quickly went a lap down but encountered some good luck when John Hunter Nemechek spun just enough to bring a caution on the 136th lap. That allowed Truex a free pass back on the lead lap, and he quickly worked his way back into contention.

Busch, who largely went unchallenged over the second half of the race, effectively prevailed in what was a war of attrition.

With a little more than 50 laps remaining, Truex opted to remain out on the track as his fellow championship drivers went for pit stops.

Although that approach allowed Truex to briefly enjoy the lead, he still had to pit eventually. By the time he completed his stop and returned to the track, he fell a lap behind Harvick and lost a lot of ground on Busch.

Shortly after that, Hamlin's car began overheating due to a large piece of tape his crew had placed on the grill. The No. 11 car resembled a steam engine as it reached its pit stall.

Hamlin won the Bluegreen Vacations 500 last week to qualify for the championship four. His quest for a first points title simply wasn't to be, however.

"It's disappointing but all you can ask for is a chance," Hamlin said in his post-race interview, per PRN. "[Crew chief Chris Gabehart] is aggressive, and he tried to give me all the speed he could there and it was too much tape. We were gonna blow up...This thing woke up, I was really excited about our prospects but it got so hot."

Harvick was the last domino to fall. The No. 4 car appeared to be counting on a caution to allow him make his final pit stop without dropping back in the field. The strategy backfired as the third stage went uninterrupted for the most part.

With 44 laps remaining, Harvick made his way toward pit road.

A caution could've added some late drama, but the result was straightforward.

With the curtain closed on the 2019 season, the focus shifts to 2020. The new year will open Feb. 16 with the Daytona 500.

As much as he has achieved in NASCAR, a checkered flag in the Daytona 500 has eluded Busch. He was the runner-up to Hamlin to open 2019.

A win at Daytona International Speedway would be the perfect way for Busch to get his title defense started.

   

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