Busch wins NASCAR Sprint Cup championship

After a long recovery from a frightening crash at the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, Busch took home the title in the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 30-year-old Busch was top finisher in the Ford EcoBoost 400 championship, beating out contending drivers Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr.

"Pretty unbelievable. I just can't believe it with everything that happened this year," Busch told reporters.

"All the turmoil that I went through, that my family went through. This is for everyone that sacrificed so much to get me to this place today."

Harvick, the reigning champion, finished a distant second. Gordon took sixth in the final race of his decorated career, while Truex Jr. came in 12th.

After a caution flag late in the race, Busch was second with seven laps remaining but manoeuvred past leader Brad Keselowski and held on.

The end result looked like a distant dream early in the year when Busch's crash left him with a broken right leg and broken left foot.

Busch missed 11 races and NASCAR granted him a waiver to make the Chase provided he was able to win a race and crack the top 30 in points before the end of the 26-race regular season at Richmond International Raceway.

Busch met both requirements then held steady in the Eliminator Round with three top-five finishes to advance on points to the Championship 4.

Fellow driver Dale Earnhardt Jr tweeted congratulations to Busch and his Joe Gibbs Racing team.