Homestead, FL – Kyle Busch survived three green-white-checkered flag restarts to win the Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday evening. The overtime event was the final race of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.
For Busch, he won for the fifth time in 11 attempts in 2013 and for the 35th time in his storied career. He led 62 of the 148 laps run, the second most in the race.
In winning, the Busch team took the 2013 owner’s championship in a tie-breaker with Matt Crafton’s ThorSport Racing team. The owner’s championship was the second for the Busch-owned team.
Toyota claimed its sixth manufacturer’s championship in 10 years.
“It is a very meaningful night for us. It means a lot to me and (wife) Samantha and all the people we have,” the winner said. “Tonight, it was a do or die situation for us; we came in here trying to lead the most laps and win the race. Early, it didn’t look like we had the truck to do that, but I just kept putting some good laps down and trying to stay off the fence. Those late caution flags lost us this race last year but when you are out in front, it is hard to pit and go for a green-white-checker, but ultimately (crew chief) Rudy Fugle made the right call. Our Toyota was awesome tonight and enabled us to win the race.”
Crafton merely needed to fire the engine in the Menards Toyota to assume the coveted championship but his goal was to win the race. While he did run with the leaders and led a dozen laps, he got caught up in a multi-truck wreck in the late going, damaging his vehicle and dropping him to 21st at the finish.
Regardless, he became the 13th different driver to win the NCWTS championship, doing so in his 14th year of competition with 316 consecutive starts, a series record among active drivers. In 2013, he scored one win, seven top-five’s and 19 top-10 finishes in 22 outings.
Finishing with a 40-point advantage over Ty Dillon, Crafton gave Toyota its fifth driver’s championship.
“It is an honor to win the championship for (owners) Duke and Rhonda Thorson, giving them their first championship,” Crafton stated. “A lot of people, including Menards, have been behind me, and they have given me a great truck to drive. Today was an awesome day, an awesome year and the greatest year of my life so far.”
Said crew chief Carl Joiner Jr., “It is so great to win the championship for the Thorson’s, as they have given everything they have got for this, and I am glad we could do it for us.”
Regarding the late-race action, “We came here to win the race and to take the owner’s championship. We wanted to get to victory lane,” Crafton commented. “I knew it was going to be crazy at the end as a bunch of people did different things with tires. I got caught up with a bunch of them and tried to lift at last second but it was too late.”
Crafton did say that completing the first lap took a lot of weight off his shoulders, to know he had garnered the crown.
In the highly competitive race, rookie sensations Ryan Blaney and Jeb Burton bounced back from adversity to finish second and third, putting on an outstanding show for the fans.
Blaney started from the pole and led 67 laps while battling with Busch, Ty Dillon, Austin Dillon and Crafton. While dueling with Busch, he grazed the wall and had to pit, but he rebounded in the waning laps to secure the second spot.
He was named rookie of the year for the series.
Burton had a harder bout with a wall, but he, too, roared back to finish third.
Veteran driver Brendan Gaughan challenged Busch in the overtime restarts, only to end up fourth.
Former champion Ron Hornaday Jr. took fifth place in his first ride with the Turner Scott team.
Sixth through 10th were John Wes Townley, German Quiroga, Ross Chastain, Timothy Peters and Cale Gale.
Eight caution flags slowed the race for 37 laps.